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LATIN  HYMNS 


ALJCG  KING  Mac  GILTOM 


UC-NRLF 


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'  GIFT    OF 
JANE  K.SATHER 


BADGER'S  CLASSICAL 
STUDIES 

The  Crimes  of  the  Oedipodean 
Cycle.     By  Henry  N.  Bowman. 

A  Study  of  Virgil's  Descriptions 
of  Nature.  By  Mabel  Louise 
Anderson. 

Deception  in  Plautus,  A  Study  in 
the  Technique  of  Comedy.  By 
Helen  E.  Wieand. 

A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns.  By 
Alice  King  MacGilton. 

Latin  Stems  and  English  De- 
rivitives  for  Caesar.  By  Madge 
De  Vore. 

Lyric  Songs  of  the  Greeks.  By 
Walter  Petersen. 

Selections  from  Catullus.  By 
Mary  Stewart. 


RICHARD  O.  BADOER,  PUBLISHER,  BOSTON 


A   STUDY   OF 
LATIN  HYMNS 


BY 


ALICE  KING  MacGILTON,  A.  M. 

n 


BOSTON 

RICHARD  G.  BADGER 

THE   GORHAM    PRESS 


Copyright,  1918,  by  Richard  Q.  Badg-ar 


All  Rights  Reserred 


£*f*n   J4$er 


MADE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 
Thi  Gobham  Pkbss,   Boston,  U.  8.  A. 


To 

MYRON  REED   SANFORD,  L.  H.  D. 

of  the  Latin  Department 

OF  MlDDLEBURY  COLLEGE 


3Q3Q39 


PREFACE 

'  I  SHIS  volume  is  the  result  of  a  critical  reading  of  over 
*  eight  hundred  Latin  hymns,  psalms,  and  canticles. 
The  treatment  of  the  subject  is  as  nearly  chronological 
as  the  nature  of  the  material  permits,  thus  making  it  a 
suitable  compendium  for  a  brief  study  of  this  minor  but 
unique  part  of  Latin  literature.  The  notes  and  lists  of 
hymns  in  the  appendix  are  arranged  for  convenience  of 
reference  with  titles  or  first  lines  in  alphabetical  order, 
the  source — author,  breviary  or  period — and  a  place  where 
each  hymn  may  be  found.  Great  uncertainty  prevails  as 
to  authorship  and  date  of  many  of  the  hymns  although 
approximation  to  a  period  is  generally  to  be  trusted. 

While  the  commentary  is  intelligible  to  a  reader  not 
familiar  with  the  Latin,  a  sufficient  number  of  hymns  in 
the  original  are  given  to  make  it  a  collection  representative 
of  the  principal  styles  and  the  important  periods  so  that 
it  may  be  used  as  a  collateral  text-book  in  the  study  of 
lyrics  of  the  post-classic  ages. 

The  work  is  without  doctrinal  bias;  its  chief  interest, 
however,  lies  in  the  fact  that  although  pursued  in  a  purely 
historical  way,  it  reveals  the  value  of  the  Christian  hymns 
as  human  documents.  In  the  expression  of  religious  feel- 
ing, hymn-writers  of  periods  and  places  remote  from  each 
other  are  bound  by  an  indissoluble  bond  which  as  in- 
timately unites  our  time  and  theirs. 

The  book  has  been  read  by  several  competent  judges 
and  the  Latin  citations  have  been  kept  as  free  as  possible 

5 


6  Preface 

from  errors,  but  the  reader  must  remember  that  varia- 
tions in  spelling  are  not  uncommon  in  mediaeval  manu- 
scripts and  their  reprints.  A  complete  bibliography  of 
Latin  and  English  works  consulted  by  the  author  is  print- 
ed in  the  appendix.  Special  mention  should  be  made  of 
S.  W.  Duffield's  complete  list  of  English  translators  and 
grateful  acknowledgment  to  Professor  Raymond  H. 
White  for  reading  the  Latin  text. 

Alice  King  MacGilton. 
Middlebury,  Vermont 
March,  19 18. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Biblical  Origin  of  Hymns 9 

The  Expression  of  Faith  in  the  Hymns 12 

The  Eastern  Hymns 13 

The  Ambrosian  Period   18 

The  Fifth  Century 22 

The  Sixth  Century   28 

The  Seventh  Century   32 

The  Eighth  Century 33 

The  Ninth  Century 34 

Mediaeval  Music 36 

The  Tenth  Century 42 

The  Dawn  of  the  Modern  Age 44 

The  Twelfth  Century 48 

The  Age  of  the  Giants 54 

The  Last  of  the  Latin  Hymns 60 

Collections  of  Hymns 65 

The  Value  of  Latin  Hymns 67 

Appendix 

I     English  Versions 71 

II     Breviaries 71 

III  Hymns  of  the  Roman  Breviary 72 

IV  Dates  of  Published  Translations 74 

7 


!8  Contents 

Page 

V     The  Seven  Great  Hymns 75 

VI     Le  Paroissien   Note    75 

VII    Hymns  of  the  "Coeleste  Palmetum" 76 

VIII     Plain  Chant 77 

English  Translations 

Dies   Irae    79 

Oratio    81 

De  Resurrectione    81 

Index  of  Latin  Hymns   85 

Supplement 100 

Index  Psalmorum   104 

Novum   Testamentum    109 

Bibliography m 


A  STUDY  OF  LATIN 
HYMNS 

The  Biblical  Origin  of  Hymns 

THE  Hebrew  songs  and  the  Christian  hymns  in 
Greek  were  the  source  from  which  issued  a  wealth 
of  Latin  hymns  after  the  Roman  Empire  made  Latin  the 
official  language  of  the  western  world.  The  Biblia  Sacra, 
Vulgatae  Editionis  gave  to  the  Christians  of  the  Roman 
Empire  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  the  great  gift  of 
the  Scriptures  in  a  language  which  all  understood.  Sex- 
tus  V  and  Clement  VIII  furthered  the  growth  of  Chris- 
tianity by  sending  forth  this  version  of  the  Bible,  Biblia 
Sacra  jussu  recognita  atque  edita.  It  is  illuminating  even 
yet  to  the  reader.  The  songs  of  Moses  and  of  Deborah, 
of  Hannah  and  of  the  Prophets  take  on  a  new  meaning. 
The  unapproachable  Psalms  of  David  shine  with  a  new 
luster  from  the  familiar  "Beatus  vir,  qui  non  abiit  in  con- 
silio  impiorum"  down  to  the  last  Psalm  an  Alleluia,  "Lau- 
date  Dominum  in  Sanctis  ejus,  Omnis  spiritus  laudet 
Dominum/1  A  broader  and  deeper  revelation  of  spiritual 
power  is  made  by  expression  in  the  Latin,  a  language  un- 
excelled in  force,  clearness,  and  elegance. 

First  among  Christian  songs  of  praise  stand  the  Mag- 
nificat, (St.  Luke  I  46-55)  the  Benedictus,  (St.  Luke  I 
68-79)  and  the  Nunc  Dimittis,  (St.  Luke  II  29-32). 

9 


io  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

In  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  we  find  what  are  believed  to 
be  traces  of  hymns  in  Ephesians  V  14: 

"Surge  qui  dormis 
et  exsurge  a  mortuis, 
et  illuminabit  te 
Christus." 

and  1  Timothy  III  16: 

"Et  manifeste  magnum  est 
pietatis  sacramentum 
quod  manifestum  est  in  came, 
justificatum  est  in  spiritu, 
apparuit  angelis, 
praedicatum  est  Gentibus, 
creditum  est  in  mundot 
assumptum  est  in  gloria." 

and  1  Timothy  VI  15-16: 

"Rex  regum,  et  Dominus  dominantium: 
qui  solus  habet  immortalitatem, 
et  lucem  inhabitat  inaccessibilem: 
quern  nullus  hominum  vidit,  sed  nee  videre  potest: 
cui  honor,  et  imperium  sempiternum.    Amen*' 

In  the  account  of  the  last  supper  an  allusion  is  made  to 
a  hymn  which  authorities  say,  must  have  been  the  Great 
Hallel,  the  Psalms  used  at  the  Paschal  feast,  Psalms 
CXIII  to  CXVIII.     Psalms  CXIII  and  CXIV  were 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  II 

sung  before  the  feast  and  Psalms  CXV-CXVIII,  after. 
They  begin  with  the  "Laudate,  pueri,  Dominum,"  then 
proceed  through  the  "Non  nobis,  Domine,  non  nobis,  sed 
nomini  tuo  da  gloriam"  to  the  reiterated  refrain  of  Psalm 
CXVIII  "quoniarri  in  saeculum  misericordia  ejus/'  These 
Psalms,  doubtless  sung  in  the  Hebrew  by  the  little  band 
of  disciples  and  their  Master,  were  afterwards  incor- 
porated in  Christian  worship  and  repeated  in  the  ser- 
vices of  the  mediaeval  church  in  the  Latin  of  the  Vulgate 
for  a  thousand  years.  St.  Jerome  says  it  was  the  habit 
of  Christians  to  sing  everywhere.  The  custom  may  have 
been  due  to  a  reaction  from  the  repression  of  times  of 
persecution  when  only  under  the  earth  Christians  could 
sing  unmolested  their  "hymns  to  Christ  as  God."  In  the 
Acts  Paul  and  Silas  in  prison  "orantes  laudabant  Deum" 
and  earlier  as  a  result  of  the  testimony  of  Peter  and  John 
those  who  heard  them 

"unanimiter  levaverunt  vocem  ad  Deum  et  dixerunt: 
'Domine,  Tu  es  qui  fecisti  coelum  et  terram 
mare  et  omnia  quae  in  eis  sunt/  " 

A  quotation  from  the  second  Psalm  follows,  then  the 
recognition  of  Jesus  as  the  annointed  (Christus)  and  a 
prayer  for  manifestation  of  power  through  his  name, 
"per  nomen  sancti  filii  tui  Jesu/' 

The  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  full  of  songs  of 
praise.  The  Pentateuch  begins  with  a  poem  on  the  crea- 
tion which  might  easily  be  chanted  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment closes  with  a  wonderful  paean  of  the  victory  of  the 
Overcomer  and  a  song  of  the  glories  of  the  New  Je- 


12  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

rusalcm.  The  resemblance  in  the  use  of  words,  phrases, 
metaphors,  and  historic  allusions  between  the  language  of 
the  Vulgate  and  of  the  Latin  hymns  is  too  great  to  be 
accidental.  The  inspiration  of  one  is  the  real  inspiration 
of  the  other.  Especially  true  is  it  of  the  early  hymns  that 
they  are  objective.  They  address  the  Deity  and  in  ascrip- 
tions of  praise  voice  the  scriptural  idea  of  the  divine  at- 
tributes. They  describe  facts  in  Bible  history,  they  cele- 
brate great  deliverances,  but  above  all  they  dwell  on  every 
detail  of  the  life  of  the  Redeemer  as  the  truest  method 
of  singing  the  song  of  the  Redeemed.  Later  we  find  the 
teachings  of  the  Church  Fathers  influencing  the  subject- 
matter  of  the  hymns,  especially  those  of  St.  Augustine  and 
still  later  of  the  powerful  thinker  Thomas  Aquinas  who 
left  his  mark  upon  the  songs  of  his  own  and  subsequent 
times. 

The  Expression  of  Faith  in  the  Hymns 

Only  when  the  singers  lose  faith  in  the  triumphs  of  the 
Faith  does  the  song  cease.  We  cannot  praise  unless  the 
gifts  and  graces  we  laud  are  realities  to  us.  The  joyful 
assurance  of  other  people  rings  hollow  in  the  verse  of  the 
indifferent  or  the  incredulous.  Music  demands  truth. 
It  cannot  pretend  to  emotions  it  does  not  feel;  the  result 
of  such  attempts  is  plainly  pretense  and  not  emotion.  One 
of  the  great  charms  of  the  early  Latin  hymns  is  their 
sincerity.  The  writers  speak  of  that  which  they  believe 
and  also,  as  far  as  their  personal  experience  can  go,  of 
what  they  know.  While  the  doctrinal  element  found  in 
the  hymns  of  the  periods  of  the  struggle  with  heresies  and 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  13 

the  establishment  of  Church  creeds  and  dogmas  does  not 
increase  their  poetical  value,  yet  some  attain  sublimity  in 
the  larger  views  taken  of  truth  although  they  lose  neces- 
sarily in  spontaneity.  The  profounder  problems  of  the- 
ology are,  naturally,  not  fitted  to  song. 

The  increasing  number  of  days  devoted  to  the  memory 
of  saints  and  martyrs  inevitably  changed  the  tone  of  the 
hymns.  A  song  expressing  veneration  of  Martha,  of 
Ursula,  of  Ambrose  is  of  necessity  less  impressive  than 
one  that  gives  voice  to  adoration  of  the  true  God,  the 
Trinity  in  Unity.  When  the  hymns  wander  from  the 
loftiest  subject  of  Christian  praise  they  often  become 
fanciful,  far-fetched,  and  merely  curiosities  of  literature. 
As  a  rule  the  Breviaries  preserve  those  hymns  that  have 
the  vital  quality  of  feeling  founded  on  faith.  It  is  an 
instance  of  the  law  of  survival.  The  hymns  that  live, 
those  that  are  sung  in  many  tongues  and  various  com- 
munions, are  as  true  an  expression  of  religious  emotion 
to-day  as  they  were  a  thousand  and  more  years  ago. 

The  Eastern  Hymns 

Latin  hymnody,  the  daughter  of  the  songs  of  praise  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  was  in  its  beginning  in- 
spired by  the  hymns  of  the  East  where  Christianity  had 
its  birth.  Very  marked  is  the  change  from  the  beautiful 
Pagan  songs  of  the  Greeks  where  the  mere  mention  of 
death  is  avoided,  to  the  joy  of  the  Christian  poet  whose 
eye  could  look  calmly  on  death,  penetrating  its  veil  to  see 
the  glories  of  the  everlasting  life.  The  Eastern  hymns 
are  aglow  with  the  love  of  Christ  and  full  of  the  hope 


14  d  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

and  peace  which  faith  in  Him  gave.     An  oriental  dox- 
ology  illustrates  this  characteristic: 

"God  is  my  hope, 
Christ  is  my  refuge, 
The  Holy  Spirit  is  my  vesture, 
Holy  Trinity,  Glory  to  Thee." 

The  three  great  early  hymns  of  the  Christian  Church, 
of  unknown  date  and  authorship,  probably  were  written 
in  the  Greek  language  originally,  the  "Ter  Sanctus"  of  all 
Catholic  Communion  services,  the  "Gloria  in  excehis" 
(which  to  the  Angels'  Song  adds  a  "Miserere"  and  a 
"Gloria!')  and  the  "Te  Deum  laudamus"  the  most  nearly 
perfect  of  all  ancient  songs  of  praise.  Manuscripts  which 
contain  them  in  Latin  are  not  early,  but  as  crystallizations 
of  worship,  they  point  to  a  very  early  age  and  doubtless 
were  developed  gradually  into  the  accepted  form,  and  then 
passed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  preserved  by  a  use 
as  constant  as  that  of  our  time.  Mrs.  Charles  well  says: 
"Three  hymns  and  three  creeds  have  come  down  to  us 
and  have  been  incorporated  into  our  Liturgy.  In  the 
preservation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  we  recognize  with 
adoration  the  controlling  hand  of  God  and  we  also  may 
attribute  to  his  merciful  providence  that  through  those 
centuries,  when  so  many  would  receive  no  spiritual  food 
except  through  the  external  Church,  anything  so  pure  and 
life-giving  should  have  been  enshrined  in  her  daily  offices, 
as  the  Creeds  of  the  Apostles,  of  Nice  and  of  Athanasius, 
and  these  three  most  sublime  hymns  of  Christendom." 
There  is  a  tradition  that  Ambrose  and  Augustine  sang 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  l$ 

rcsponsivcly  the  "Te  Deum"  in  the  Latin  at  the  confirma- 
tion of  St.  Augustine.  The  most  credible  theory  is  that 
it  was  made  up  of  several  Oriental  hymns  as  it  is  at  once 
a  hymn,  a  creed,  and  a  prayer;  and  that  it  was  first  used 
by  Ambrose  who  improved  the  ritual  of  the  West  by  many 
musical  innovations. 

Whatever  the  facts  of  the  origin  of  these  famous  hymns, 
the  East  made  some  beautiful  contributions  to  hymnody. 
Mrs.  Charles  gives  translations  of  thirty  of  them  in  her 
book,  The  Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song.  The  first 
writer  of  Christian  hymns  in  any  tongue  is  Clement  of 
Alexandria,  a  convert  to  Christianity  at  the  close  of  the 
second  century,  who  appended  a  hymn  in  Greek,  O  Thou, 
the  King  of  Saints,  to  a  learned  treatise  entitled  Paeda- 
gogus. 

The  Syriac  hymns  of  Ephraem  Syrus  are  given  in  Ger- 
man in  Daniel's  Thesaurus.  The  lament  of  a  father  on 
the  death  of  his  little  son,  a  hymn  which  it  was  customary 
in  early  times  to  sing  at  the  funerals  of  children,  is  at- 
tributed to  him.  His  hymn  for  Palm  Sunday  is  excellent. 
Mrs.  Charles  has  a  translation  of  it.  The  last  stanza  in 
her  version  is: 

"Let  every  village,  every  city 

In  happy  tumult  sing  His  name, 
Since  even  infant  lips  are  shouting, 
'Blessed  is  He  the  King  who  came.'  " 

Theodoret  speaks  of  Ephraem's  songs  as  very  sweet  and 
profitable.  He  is  said  to  have  added  to  his  stanzas  a  fifth 
line  to  be  sung  by  different  voices  as  a  refrain  and  called 
the  ephymnium. 


1 6  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

One  more  Eastern  hymn  writer  must  be  mentioned, 
Gregory  of  Nazianzum,  a  devout  monk  who  was  called 
from  a  life  of  solitary  devotion  to  be  the  Patriarch  of 
Constantinople  in  380  A.  D.  From  vigils,  psalmodies,  and 
departures  to  God  in  prayer,  Gregory  entered  into  the 
active  struggle  against  Arianism.  His  hymns  were  sung 
in  public  demonstrations  made  in  the  defence  of  the  Faith 
against  the  popular  heresy,  and  may  have  been  composed 
for  that  purpose.  Gaius  speaks  of  "hymning  Christ  the 
Word  of  God,  as  God,"  and  the  hymns  of  Gregory 
certainly  are  full  of  the  glories  of  Christ. 

The  Greek  hymns  are  objective  in  tone.  Their  theme 
is  not  "our  joy  in  God,"  but  as  has  been  happily  ex- 
pressed, "God  who  is  our  Joy."  So  many  late-mediaeval 
hymns,  both  Protestant  and  Jesuit,  are  subjective  that 
this  freedom  from  introspective  analysis,  which  so  easily 
becomes  morbid  or  sentimental,  is  a  great  merit.  Instead 
of  dwelling  upon  states  of  mind,  these  Eastern  hymns  look 
away  from  the  worshiper  to  the  Object  of  worship. 

Three  beautiful  later  Greek  hymns  are  in  present  use 
in  the  admirable  versions  of  Dr.  John  Mason  Neale: 
The  Day  is  Past  and  Over  from  Anatolius,  Christian  Dost 
Thou  See  Themf  from  Andrew  of  Crete,  and  Art  thou 
Weary  f  from  Stephen  the  Sabaite. 

The  first  authentic  writer  of  Latin  hymns  was  also  a 
valiant  foe  of  the  Arians  and  was  banished  when  they 
had  official  power  in  356  A.  D.  to  Phrygia  where  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  ritual  of  the  East.  On  his  re- 
turn he  was  instrumental  in  introducing  hymn  singing 
into  the  West.  There  was  more  than  one  Hilary,  but  this 
"Malleus  Arianorum"  was  undoubtedly  the  Bishop   of 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  17 

Poictiers  whom  Isadore  calls  the  first  Latin  hymn  writer 
and  who  according  to  St.  Jerome  wrote  a  book  of  hymns. 
A  morning  hymn  is,  however,  the  only  one  extant  that 
can  be  attributed  certainly  to  him.  It  is  believed  that  he 
wrote  it  during  his  exile  and  sent  it  with  an  evening 
hymn,  unfortunately  lost,  to  his  daughter  Abra. 

HYMNUS  MATUTINUS 
(The  Oldest  Christian  Hymn  in  Latin) 

Lucis  largitor  splendide, 

Cuius  sereno   lumine 
Post  laps  a  noctis  temp  or  a 

Dies  refusus  panditur; 

Tu  verus  mundi  Lucifer, 

Non  is,  qui  parvi  sideris 
Venturae  lucis  nuntius 

Angusto  fulget  lumine, 

Sed  toto  sole  clarior, 

Lux  ipse  totus  et  dies, 
Interna  nostri  pectoris 

Illuminans  praecordia : 

Ad  est  0,  rerum  conditor, 

Paternae  lucis  gloria, 
Cuius  admota  gratia 

Nostra  patescunt  corpora; 

Tuoque  plena  spiritu, 
Secum  Deum  gestantia, 


1 8  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Ne  rapientis  perfidi 
Diris  patescant  fraudibus, 

U4  inter  actus  saeculi 
Vitae  quos  usus  exigit, 

Omni  carentes  crimine 
Tuis  vivamus  legibus. 

Probrosas  mentis  castitas 
Carnis  vincat  libidines, 

Sanctumque  puri  corporis 
Delubrum  servet  Spiritus. 

Haec  spes  precantis  animae, 
Haec  sunt  votiva  munera, 

Ut  matutina  nobis  sit 
Lux  in  noctis  custodiam. 


The  Ambrosian  Period 

With  this  hymn  of  Hilary,  Latin  hymnody  takes  its 
rise.  In  the  classical  age,  the  Romans  had  few  hymns  in 
the  modern  sense.  The  "Dianae  sumus  in  fide"  of  Catul- 
lus and  Horace's  famous  "Dianam  tenerae  dicite  virgines" 
are  plainly  lyrics  that  suggest  this  form.  The  traditional 
odes  to  the  gods  were  quite  different  in  aim  and  much 
more  elaborate  in  form.  "Praise  to  God  with  song"  was 
Augustine's  definition  of  a  hymn,  which  evidently  includ- 
ed also  canticles  and  psalms,  but  Bede  thought  the  word 
hymn  should  be  applied  to  metrical  compositions  only. 

Although  Hilary's  name  stands  first,  this  earliest  period 
of  Latin  Hymns  is  properly  named  Ambrosian  from  the 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  19 

great  Bishop  of  Milan  who  might  be  called  the  father  of 
church  music  in  the  West.  Augustine  writes  that  "it  was 
first  appointed  by  Ambrose  that,  after  the  manner  of 
Greek  services,  hymns  and  psalms  should  be  sung  by  the 
people  lest  they  grow  weary  and  faint  through  sorrow" 
because  of  the  persecution  of  their  good  Bishop  and  their 
confinement  with  him  in  the  cathedral.  He  describes  him- 
self as  moved  to  tears  by  the  sweetness  of  the  singing,  "the 
voices  flowed  into  my  ears,  the  truth  distilled  into  my 
heart ;  I  overflowed  with  devout  affection  and  was  happy." 
The  emotional  effect  of  congregational  singing  evidently 
was  as  potent  in  the  fourth  century  as  in  the  nineteenth. 
Once  inaugurated,  this  custom  of  encouraging  the  people 
to  join  in  the  singing  of  hymns  spread,  according  to 
Augustine,  from  Milan  throughout  the  entire  West. 

As  to  the  quality  of  the  hymns  which  have  come  down 
to  us  from  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries,  Neale  a  sympa- 
thetic critic  calls  them  rugged.  They  are  in  the  Latin 
of  the  Post-Silver  Age  and  antedate  the  use  of  rhyme. 
They  were  intended  for  popular  use  and  were  written  in 
the  simplest,  most  direct  style.  Many  of  the  earliest  ones 
read  like  translations  as,  doubtless,  many  of  them  were. 
When  "the  stream  of  psalmody  flowed  from  the  language 
of  Homer  into  that  of  Vergil,"  facts  and  ideas  that  were 
native  to  the  Hebrew  and  Greek,  the  two  media  of  Scrip- 
tural inspiration,  had  to  be  naturalized  in  the  sonorous 
Roman  speech.  At  first  the  old  thoughts  wore  the  new 
garb  somewhat  stiffly  but  it  is  fair  to  admit  that  it  must 
have  been  much  less  difficult  to  write  hymns  in  Greek 
since  the  matter  they  embodied  lay  embedded  in  the 
Greek  New  Testament.     Again,  in  comparing  the  early 


20  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

hymns  with  the  mediaeval  ones,  we  must  take  into  ac- 
count the  fact  that  in  the  early  period  no  ecclesiastical  and 
spiritual  associations  were  gathered  round  the  Latin 
tongue  which  was  to  be  the  chosen  language  of  the  West- 
ern Church  for  many  centuries  and  is  still  that  of  a  great 
body  of  Christian  believers.  Latin  had  to  "come  into 
church  fresh  from  the  market,  the  battlefield,  or  the  court 
of  justice."  Yet  for  this  very  reason,  there  is  a  sim- 
plicity of  expression  and  a  straightforward  sincerity  of 
tone  in  the  Ambrosiani  that  make  a  strong  appeal  even 
now.  There  is  not  a  suggestion  of  pretense  in  any  of  them. 
They  may  be  plain,  even  crude  but  they  are  full  of  force. 
They  have  the  verve  of  patriotic  hymns  or  battle-songs. 
Devoid  of  mystic  devotion  they  have,  nevertheless,  a  vigor 
and  at  times  a  majesty  truly  Roman. 

Of  the  many  Ambrosian  hymns,  authorities  differ  as  to 
the  probable  and  the  possible  ones  that  belong  to  Am- 
brose himself,  but  all  agree  that  four  are  his  on  the  au- 
thority of  Augustine  and  Celestine.  These  are  the  "Deus 
creator  omnium!'  the  "Aeterne  rerum  conditor/'  the 
"Jam  surgit  hora  tertia"  which  Augustine  mentions,  and 
the  "Veni,  redemptor  gentium/'  of  which  Celestine  speaks, 
and  which  the  critic  Herder  ranks  very  high. 

March  in  his  collection  of  Latin  hymns  puts  twelve 
under  the  name  of  Ambrose,  one  of  them  a  remarkable 
prayer  for  rain.  This  poem,  for  it  is  rather  a  poem  than 
a  hymn,  is  a  graphic  description  of  a  drought  in  a  southern 
country,  and  is  almost  too  realistic.  It  has  been  put  into 
English  very  satisfactorily  by  Bishop  Van  Buren. 

Among  the  hymns  of  uncertain  authorship  of  this  first 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  21 

period,  Mone,  the  scholarly  editor  of  "Hymns  of  the 
Middle  Ages,"  attributes  the  "Hie  est  dies  verus  Dei'  to 
Ambrose,  using  doubtless  the  method  of  the  higher  criti- 
cism. Daniel  whose  Thesaurus  is  one  of  the  best  available 
reference  books  for  students  of  early  hymns  thinks  that 
the  famous 

"Ad  coenani  Agni  providi 
Et  stolis  albis  candidi" 

is  a  hymn  that  was  sung  by  newly  baptized  catechumens 
and  one  of  the  most  ancient  extant.  It  is  a  comparison  of 
the  Feast  of  the  Passover  with  the  sacrament  of  the  Holy 
Communion. 

The  "Aurora  lucis  rutilai"  is  an  Easter  hymn  which 
tells  the  Resurrection  story  simply  but  beautifully.  The 
direct  narrative  of  many  early  hymns  must  have  served 
the  purpose  of  fixing  in  the  minds  of  the  common  people 
the  fundamental  facts  of  their  religion,  and  throughout  the 
controversial  ages,  the  doctrines  founded  on  these  facts. 
They  teach  plainly  that  the  Church's  doctrine  has  Scrip- 
tural foundation.  They  have  not  the  smoothness  of  the 
mediaeval  hymns  but  they  ring  with  triumphant  faith  and 
give  expression  to  a  living  theology.  Their  blunt  sweet- 
ness has  in  it  the  freshness  of  the  dawn.  They  are  not 
beautiful,  nor  in  the  ordinary  sense,  emotional,  but  their 
simplicity  is  refreshing.  Their  writers  accept  what  the 
Church  teaches  and  exult  in  every  detail  of  the  great  song 
of  Redemption  with  loyal  gratitude.  The  morning  and 
evening  hymns  of  this  period  possess  a  perennial  charm 
and  are  still  sung. 


22  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

The  Fifth  Century 

At  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  the  Vulgate 
edition  of  the  Scriptures  was  in  existence  and  probably 
gave  an  impetus  to  the  composition  of  hymns  in  the  Latin. 
The  number  of  hymns  increases,  but  dates,  as  well  as 
authors,  are  lacking  in  the  great  majority  of  the  oldest 
hynms  that  have  been  preserved  to  us.  There  is  a  ten- 
dency to  group  hymns  around  famous  names.  Kings  and 
Popes  come  in  for  a  full  share,  possibly  because  the  actual 
poets  were  of  their  courts.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
the  great  Bishop  of  Hippo  ever  wrote  a  hymn,  but  never- 
theless we  find  Augustiniani  in  the  collections.  "De 
gaudiis  Paradisi"  and  "Ad  perennis  vitae  fontem"  contain 
phrases  suggestive  of  Augustine's  City  of  God  and  on  this 
account  have  been  associated  with  his  name,  although  the 
latter  is  now  generally  believed  to  belong  to  Pietro  Dami- 
ani  who  died  in  1072.  The  " Antidotum  contra  tyranni- 
dem  peccati"  whose  title  certainly  might  be  that  of  a 
theological  treatise,  is  from  internal  evidence  of  much 
later  date  and  although  named  Augustinian,  is  credited 
by  Anselm  to  Pietro.     Its  rhymed  refrain  is: 

"Dulce    mihi    cruciari, 

Parva  vis  doloris  est: 
'Malo  mori  quam  foedaril' 

Ma)  or  vis  amor  is  est" 

So  in  this  instance  the  hymn  shows  Augustine's  influence 
five  hundred  years  after  his  death.  A  few  centuries  made 
little  difference  to  early  compilers  of  hymns  when  the 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  23 

whole  of  the  material  was  in  a  state  of  dire  confusion. 

Prudentius  was  a  follower  afar  of  Vergil  and  the  sing- 
ers of  the  Golden  Age  of  Latin  verse.  He  has  even  been 
called  the  Horace  and  Vergil  of  the  Christians,  but  this 
extravagant  praise  is  a  detriment  to  him.  Though  none 
of  his  contemporaries  descend  to  the  barbarism  of  Latin 
rhyme,  he  follows  the  most  closely  the  classic  meters.  He 
belonged  to  a  period  between  the  literary  ages  of  Rome 
and  the  time  when  Latin  was  known  only  as  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal or  scholastic  language  yet,  in  the  opinion  of  S.  W. 
Duffield  author  of  The  Latin  Hymn-Writers  and  their 
Hymns,  Prudentius  fell  little  below  the  standard  of  the 
Silver  Age.  He  always  has  been  popular  with  scholars,  and 
several  editions  of  his  works  have  appeared.  His  long 
poems  with  Greek  titles  have  earned  him  the  name  of  the 
first  Christian  poet.  In  reading  the  hymns  of  this  cul- 
tured writer  of  the  beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  it  is 
a  delightful  experience  to  find  Christian  thought  expressed 
in  the  language  and  style  endeared  to  us  by  the  master- 
pieces of  our  favorite  Roman  poets.  How  striking  the 
difference  in  the  tone  of  Pagan  verse  and  these  lines : 

"Animae  fuit  haec  domus  olim 
Factoris  ab  ore  creatae; 
Fervens  habitavit  in  istis 
Sapientia  principe  Chris  to." 

The  "In  exsequiis"  from  which  this  stanza  is  quotsd  is  a 
funeral  hymn  by  Prudentius  and  the  most  suggestive  of 
the  classic  lyrics  in  treatment  and  form  of  any  Christian 
hymn  that  we  have.     His  "Da,  puer,  plectrum  choreis' 


24  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

brings  to  mind  Horace  though  the  motive  of  the  one  who 
calls  for  music  is  so  unlike  that  of  the  other,  an  Epicurean 
poet  who  is  quaffing  wine  in  the  shade,  and  whose  wreath 
of  roses  is  for  himself,  and  whose  praise  is  for  the  muses. 
The  fourth  watch  of  the  Romans,  the  dawn  of  day, 
was  called  by  the  Christians  "cock-crow."  Various 
writers  refer  to  the  bird  that  heralds  the  coming  of  the 
morning,  but  the  "Ales  diet  nuntius"  of  Prudentius  is 
deservedly  the  most  famous  instance. 

AD  GALLI  CANTUM 

Ales,  diei  nuntius, 

Lucem  propinquam  praecinit; 

Nos  excitator  mentium 

lam  Christus  ad  vitam  vocat. 

"Auferte,"  clamat,  "lectulos, 
Aegros,  soporos,  de sides, 
Castique  recti  ac  sobrii 
Vigilate:  iam  sum  proximus," 

Iesum  ciamus  vocibus, 
Flentes,  precantes,  sobrii: 
Intenta  supplicatio 
Dormire  cor  mundum  vetat. 

Tu,  Christ e,  somnum  disiice; 
Tu  rumpe  noctis  vincula; 
Tu  solve  peccatum  vetus, 
Novumque  lumen  ingeret 

Duffield  translated  the  first  stanza: 

"The  bird,  the  messenger  of  day, 
Cries  the  approaching  light 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  25 

And  thus  doth  Christ,  who  calleth  us, 
Our  minds  to  Life  incite." 

We  find  the  first  allusion  to  the  custom  of  making  the 
sign  of  the  cross  in  these  verses  from  a  prayer : 

"Fete,  cum  vocante  somno 
Castum  petis  cubile, 
Frontem  locumque  cordis 
Crucis  figura  signet. 

Crux  pellit  omne  crimen; 

Fugiunt  crucem  tenebrae; 
Tali  dicate  signo 

Mens  fluctuare  nescit" 

These  are  eight  of  the  twenty-eight  verses  of  the  "Cultor 
Dei  memento"  The  "Salvete f lores  martyrum"  for  Holy 
Innocents'  day  is  justly  famous,  attracting  a  score  of 
translators.  Thirty-two  hymns  generally  are  admitted 
to  be  from  the  pen  of  Prudentius;  the  two  greatest  are 
the  "Nox  et  tenebrae  et  nubila"  and  the  "Quicumque 
Christum  quaeritis."  DufHeld  gives  the  following  version 
of  the  first  and  last  stanzas  of  "Nox  et  tenebrae  et  nubila:" 

"Night,  clouds  and  darkness,  get  you  gone! 
Depart,  confusions  of  the  earth! 
Light  comes,  the  sky  so  dark  and  wan 
Brightens — it  is  the  Saviour's  birth! 

"How  many  are  the  dreams  of  dread 
Which  by  thy  light  are  swept  apart! 


26  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Thou,  Saviour  of  the  sainted  dead, 
Shine  with  calm  luster  in  the  heart!" 

This  hymn  is  one  of  the  few  very  early  ones  that  have 
a  place  in  the  Roman  Breviary.  Mr.  Duffield's  transla- 
tion of  the  first  and  last  stanzas  of  " Quicumque  Christum 
quaeritis"  is  as  follows: 

"O  ye  who  seek  our  Lord  to-day, 

Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high, 
And  view  Him  there,  as  now  you  may, 

Whose  brightness  cannot  die." 

*         *         *         *         *         * 

"To  Him  the  prophets  testified, 
In  him  their  hearts  rejoice — 
Our  Father  bids  us  seek  His  side 
To  hear  and  heed  His  voice." 

The  genuine  religious  fervor  of  this  hymn  shows  how  in 
the  midst  of  the  darkest  of  the  Dark  Ages,  in  the  time  of 
greatest  disorder  and  wretchedness,  the  lives  of  Christian 
men  shine  forth  in  works  of  mercy  and  in  songs  expressing 
the  faith  which  sustained  them.  Duffield  says  Prudentius 
"brightened  Latin  prosody  by  the  presence  of  a  living 
faith." 

To  the  latter  half  of  the  fifth  century  belongs  the 
celebrated  hymn,  "Vexilla  Regis  prodeunt."  Its  author  is 
Fortunatus,  a  courtier  and,  later  in  life,  a  priest.  What 
we  know  of  his  life  of  adventure  is  interesting,  for  he  was 
one  of  the  first  troubadours.  He  was  the  last  great  hymn- 
writer  whose  native  tongue  was  Latin.     He  won  dis- 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  2*] 

tinction  by  composing  an  Epithalamium  for  one  queen, 
and  at  the  height  of  his  popularity  he  became  a  priest  at 
the  desire  of  another.  To  Queen  Radigunda,  who  later 
was  canonized,  and  her  Abbess  Agnes,  he  wrote  many 
amusing  lines  which  do  not  belong  to  this  study  save  as 
they  go  to  prove  that  our  poet's  inspiration  sometimes  was 
due  to  dainties  sent  him  by  his  lady  friends  who,  greatly 
to  their  credit,  were  good  cooks  as  well  as  good  religieuses. 
The  hymns  of  Fortunatus  reveal  genius  though  they  have 
not  the  simple  truth  of  those  of  the  Ambrosian  period  and 
are  at  times  marred  by  too  much  glitter.  The  skill  of  the 
secular  singer  of  the  court  appears  in  artifices  and  elegant 
details.  He  wrote  in  the  Latin  of  the  decadence,  but  his 
artistic  merit  is  so  great  that  five  of  his  hymns  are  well 
known  and  deservedly  famous.  The  celebrated  "De 
Passione  Christi"  begins: 

"Vexilla  Regis  prodeunt 

Fulget  crucis  mysterium, 
Quo  carne  carnis  conditor 
Suspensus  est  patibulo" 

of  which  Mrs.  Charles  gives  us  the  following  version, 

"The  banner  of  the  King  goes  forth, 
The  Cross  the  radiant  mystery, 
Where  in  a  frame  of  human  birth, 
Man's  Maker  suffers  on  the  Tree." 

This  is  the  most  ancient  of  the  seven  great  hymns  and  in 
the  favorite  unrhymed  Ambrosian  metre.  It  has  eight 
stanzas. 


28  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

His  other  hymn  on  the  Passion,  "Pange,  lingua,  glori- 
osi  proelium  certaminis"  has  been  the  model  of  at  least 
four  other  hymns  beginnnig  "Pange,  lingua!'  The  open- 
ing of  his  Resurrection  hymn,  "Salve  festa  dies,  toto  ven- 
erabilis  aevo"  has  also  been  copied.  Of  these  three  hymns 
of  Fortunatus  the  first  has  twenty-four  English  trans- 
lators, the  second  found  an  imitator  in  Thomas  Aquinas 
and  all  are  widely  known.  A  fine  early  hymn  on  the  cross 
is  assigned  to  him  "Crux  benedicta  nitet"  and  the  "Quern 
terra,  pontus,  aether  a"  which  the  hymnographer  Thomas- 
ius  attributes  to  him  is  one  of  the  earliest  hymns  devoted 
to  the  praise  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  Its  subject  as  given 
by  Daniel  is  "De  Beata  Virgine"  The  twenty-first  verse 
of  this  hymn  begins  "0  gloriosa  femina,"  this  and  the 
succeeding  fifteen  verses  appear  as  a  separate  hymn  in 
the  Roman  Breviary.  His  treatment  of  the  cross  is  very 
unlike  that  of  early  writings  where  it  is  called  "the  ac- 
cursed tree"  and  the  change  may  be  observed  in  his  own 
work  in  which  he  first  speaks  of  it  as  patibulum  or  gallows 
and  later  as  the  blessed  Cross  the  venerated  symbol  of  the 
Passion.  It  may  have  been  the  friendship  of  two  gifted 
and  saintly  women  that  made  Fortunatus  capable  of  a 
true  appreciation  of  feminine  qualities  for  it  certainly  is 
true  that  a  prominent  place  is  given  in  his  hymns  to 
ascriptions  of  praise  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  as  the  ideal  of 
womanhood  and  the  personification  of  spiritual  grace. 

The  Sixth  Century 

The  sixth  century  has  among  its  hymn-writers  one 
whose  name  is  associated  with  a  great  advance  in  church 
music,  Gregory  the  Great.     The  Gregorian  chants  are 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  29 

still  in  use  in  the  services  of  the  Church.  Under  him, 
because  of  the  higher  development  of  church  music,  the 
choir  became  much  more  prominent  and  the  singing  often 
was  done  for  the  people  rather  than  by  them.  From  a 
devout  monk,  Gregory  became  a  great  statesman  and  held 
the  keys  of  Saint  Peter  for  thirteen  years.  He  materially 
aided  the  Benedictine  foundations  whose  order  of  schol- 
ars deserves  the  grateful  admiration  of  the  world  of  let- 
ters. He  sent  Augustine  who  was  afterwards  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  to  be  a  missionary  in  Britain;  his 
attention  being  attracted  by  the  golden  hair  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  slaves  in  Rome,  he  determined  to  make  Angeli  of 
the  Angli. 

The  prose  works  of  Gregory  are  numerous,  rilling  sev- 
eral volumes  of  Migne's  Patrologia.  His  famous  Pas- 
toral Rule  was  translated  into  Anglo-Saxon  by  Alfred  the 
Great.  Nine  hymns  are  attributed  to  him.  Luther 
thought  his  "Rex  Christe,  factor  omnium*  the  best  hymn 
ever  written.  The  "Nocte  surgentes,  vigilemus  omnes" 
has  Keble  and  Newman  among  its  many  translators  and 
the  "Ex  more  docti  mystico/'  Dryden  and  Neale.  The 
"Ecce  jam  noctis  tenuatur  umbra"  has  many  English 
versions,  the  "Audi  benigne  Conditor/J  even  more.  His 
"Ecce  tempus  idoneum'  is  a  noble  hymn,  and  the  power- 
ful "Nox  atra  rerum*  is  assigned  to  him  by  Mone.  His 
style  is  Ambrosian.  He  uses  phrases  all  can  understand. 
The  poetic  utterance  of  this  time  is  well  described  by  Gui- 
zot  who  says  "it  is  an  action,  having  ceased  to  be  a  litera- 
ture." 

Gregory's  authorship  of  the  "Veni,  Creator  Spiritus" 
the  second  of  the  seven  great  hymns  and  the  one  the 


30  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Church  honors  by  a  place  in  the  rite  of  ordination  to 
the  priesthood  has  been  questioned.  The  "Veni,  Creator 
Spiritus"  in  its  simple  grandeur  seems  a  work  of  inspira- 
tion. It  is  small  wonder  that  it  is  made  a  matter  of  ser- 
ious controversy.  In  English  one  can  read  it  in  twenty- 
seven  versions,  although  that  of  Bishop  Cosin  ranks 
first  because  nearest  the  original  in  spirit.  Duffield  puts 
the  hymn  two  centuries  later  than  Gregory's  time,  and 
believes  that  it  was  written  by  Rabanus,  a  pupil  of  Al- 
cuin.  One  of  the  grounds  of  his  opinion  is  that  Gregory 
never  wrote  another  hymn  the  equal  of  this.  He,  how- 
ever, goes  on  to  say  that  Rabanus  "used  the  art  of  verse 
to  little  purpose  at  times,  but  in  a  happy  hour  wrote  the 
'Veni,  Creator  Spiritus/ 'J  Rabanus  was  a  scholar  and 
this  hymn  appears  in  his  Codex,  and  in  one  of  his  works 
there  is  a  chapter  that  expresses  its  doctrine,  but  in  spite 
of  these  facts,  Mone  and  Wackernagel  attribute  it  to 
Gregory. 

This  disputed  point  illustrates  the  great  difficulty  of 
obtaining  authentic  authorship  for  any  hymn  which  has 
not  contemporary  reference  to  its  origin.  It  is,  after  all 
has  been  said,  a  question  of  little  moment  since  the  proof 
of  the  value  of  a  hymn  lies  in  itself.  No  greatness  of  an 
author  can  make  a  poor  hymn  a  good  one.  Witness  Glad- 
stone's "Jesus  pro  me  perforates!"  If  a  hymn  appeals  to 
the  heart  of  the  Christian  worshiper  it  does  not  require 
a  renowned  writer  to  give  it  enduring  fame. 

Bede  and  Alcuin  recall  all  that  is  worthiest  in  the  his- 
tory of  mediaeval  education.  Bede  the  Venerable  studied 
at  the  monastery  connected  with  what  is  now  Durham 
Cathedral.    He  became  a  great  Greek  scholar,  having  six 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  31 

hundred  monks  for  pupils,  many  of  whom  came  from 
across  the  Channel  to  study  with  him.  Bede's  translation 
of  the  Gospel  of  Saint  John  into  Anglo-Saxon  was  finished 
on  his  death-bed  where  "singing  the  'Gloria,"  he  gave  up 
the  ghost."  In  the  words  of  Mrs.  Charles,  "Such  was 
the  calm  of  a  Christian's  death-bed  in  England  over  eleven 
hundred  years  ago."  The  first  number  in  the  first  volume 
of  Mone's  Hymns  of  the  Middle  Ages  is  a  long  poem  by 
Bede  on  the  Creation,  its  last  thirteen  stanzas  are  used 
as  a  hymn  beginning  "Post  facta  celsa  Conditor."  March 
puts  under  his  name  "Salve  tropaeum  gloria"  and  Daniel 
prints  as  his  four  lines  beginning  uPraecursor  alius  lum- 
inis"  but  the  only  well  authenticated  hymns  of  Bede  are 
"Hymnum  canamus  gloriae"  and  "Hymnum  canentes 
martyrum"  which  are  much  admired.  The  latter  is  a  very 
beautiful  hymn  for  Holy  Innocents'  day.  Duffield  sees 
what  he  considers  traces  of  the  influence  of  Caedmon  and 
Beowulf,  but  hints  of  Anglo-Saxon  parallelism  and  allit- 
eration are  much  less  marked  than  in  Alcuin.  A  few 
lines  will  illustrate  Alcuin's  style : 

"Te  homo  laudct       alme  creator 

Pectore,  mente,       pads  ambre 

Nou  modo  parva       pars  quia  mundi  est." 

The  quaint  simplicity  of  this  hymn  of  praise  is  admirable. 
Bede  refers  to  two  ancient  hymns,  thus  establishing 
their  date  to  be  certainly  as  early  as  the  seventh  century, 
"Apparebit  repentina  dies  magna  Domini"  a  very  impres- 
sive composition  which  Neale  thinks  contains  the  germ 
of  the    celebrated    "Dies    Irae"    and    "Hymnum    dicat 


3*  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

turba  fratrum"  which   Bede   describes  as  "hymnus  die 
pulcherrimus." 

The  Seventh  Century 

The  seventh  century  has  no  famous  hymn-writer  but 
has  assigned  to  it  one  remarkable  hymn  "Urb's  beata  Je- 
rusalem' of  which  the  " Angular e  fundamentum"  suitable 
for  use  at  the  dedication  of  a  church  forms  a  part.  All 
authorities  admit  that  there  have  been  later  additions  to 
this  hymn  and  so  competent  a  critic  as  Neale  believes  the 
whole  from  Spain  and  of  a  later  date  than  the  seventh 
century.  His  reason  is  that  its  meter  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  forty-eight  hymns  peculiar  to  the  Mozarabic  Brevi- 
ary which  is  of  Spanish  origin.  This  Breviary  contains 
many  Ambrosiani  which  were  evidently  favorite  hymns 
in  Spain  and  their  meter  the  iambic  dimeter  invariably 
was  employed.  Its  use  in  Seneca's  tragedies  may  have 
made  it  familiar  to  the  early  Christian  writers  of  Latin 
hymns. 

The  mediaeval  Latin  hymns  originating  in  Ireland  form 
another  national  group.  Among  these  hymns  the  Prayer 
of  Saint  Patrick,  of  uncertain  age  and  authorship,  is  of 
interest : 

AD  COMMUNIONEM 

Anima  Christi,  sanctified  me 
Corpus  Christi,  salva  me. 
Sanguis  Christi,  inebria  me. 
Aqua  lateris  Christi,  lava  me. 
Passio  Christi,  comforta  me. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  33 

O  bone  Jesu,  exaudi  me. 
Intra  vulnera  absconde  me, 
Et  ne  permittas  me  separari  a  te. 
Ab  hoste  maligno  defende  me. 
In  hora  mortis  meae,  voca  me, 
Et  jube  me  venire  ad  te, 
Ut  cum  Sanctis  tuis  laudem  te, 
In  saecula  saeculorum. 

The  most  beautiful  hymn  of  Irish  origin  is  also  a  com- 
munion hymn: 

"Sancti  venite 
Christi  corpus  sumite" 

admired  both  by  Daniel  and  by  Neale  for  its  noble  sim- 
plicity. It  is  a  favorite  with  many  in  Neale's  excellent 
translation. 

The  Eighth  Century 

Towards  the  close  of  the  eighth  century  at  the  court  of 
Charlemagne,  besides  the  teacher  Alcuin  there  was  an- 
other distinguished  hymn-writer, — Paul  the  Deacon.  It 
is  a  strange  coincidence  that  his  three  best  known  hymns 
are  about  Saint  John  the  Baptist.  Caswell  has  made 
English  versions  of  all  three:  "O  nimis  felix  meritique 
celsi"  "Antra  deserti  teneris"  and  "Ut  queant  laxis." 
The  last  hymn  is  famous  from  the  use  made  of  its  first 
stanza : 

"Ut  queant  laxis 
Resonare  fibris 


34  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Mira  gestorum 
Famuli  tuorum, 
Solve  polluti 
Labii  reatum, 
Sancte  Johannes!" 

From  the  first  syllables  of  each  line  Ut,  Re,  Mi,  Fa,  Sol, 
La,  and  possibly  Si,  the  names  of  the  tones  of  the  diatonic 
scale  have  been  derived.  Its  tune  must  have  been  of  such 
a  nature  that  each  of  these  short  lines  began  a  degree  of 
the  scale  higher  than  the  preceding  one,  so  that  it  was 
adopted  as  a  mnemonic  device  for  recalling  pitch.  Its 
use  is  associated  with  the  name  of  Guido  of  Arezzo  a 
musician  of  the  eleventh  century. 

The  Ninth  Century 

The  ninth  century  opened  with  Charlemagne  as  Em- 
peror and  continued  the  advance  in  education  recently 
made.  Rabanus  Maurus  as  Abbot  of  Fulda  permitted 
laymen  to  study  with  the  monks.  He  shares  with  John 
Scotus  Erigena  the  intellectual  pre-eminence  of  the  age. 
His  writings  fill  six  volumes  of  Migne's  Patrologia  and 
his  Codex  contains  twenty  hymns  which  Duffield  thinks 
are  his  own  compositions.  This  Hymnodia  has  an  ap- 
propriate sacred  song  for  every  season,  among  them  is  the 
"Veni,  Creator  Spiritus"  which  seems  the  work  of  a  poet 
rather  than  a  scholar.  The  very  reason  given  that  he  is 
the  learned  author  of  a  treatise  on  the  Offices  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  against  the  probability  of  such  poetic  in- 
spiration being  his.     His  well  known  hymns  are  but  two, 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  35 

"Tibi,  Christe  Splendor  Fatris"  which  Neale  has  trans- 
lated and  his  "Christe,  sanctorum  decus  angelorum"  of 
which  one  of  the  several  English  versions  can  be  found  in 
the  Hymns  of  the  Ages. 

Walafrid  Strabo  who  was  a  pupil  of  Rabanus  after- 
ward became  the  Abbot  of  Reichenau,  an  abbey  situated 
on  an  island  in  Lake  Constance.  Here  when  a  youth 
he  was  a  student  and  he  gives  in  a  series  of  letters  the 
program  of  a  nine  years'  course  of  study  at  the  monastery. 
Anno  Domini  815,  Latin  and  German  primers  kept  the 
pupils  busy;  in  816,  grammar,  Bible  history,  and  conver- 
sational Latin;  in  817,  orthography  and  memorizing  the 
entire  Psalter  in  Latin;  in  818,  Bede's  prosody,  Cato, 
Sedulus  and  other  Latin  poets;  in  819,  rhetoric  and 
practice  in  teaching  begun;  in  820,  Bede's  histories,  the 
Latin  writers  of  the  Golden  Age,  and  the  Christian  poets, 
Prudentius  and  Fortunatus;  in  821,  Boethius,  dialectics 
and  the  codes  of  law;  in  822,  rhetoric  and  logic;  and 
in  823,  Homer,  music,  geography,  geometry,  and  astron- 
omy. Strabo  wrote  a  few  hymns  but  they  are  of  little 
value  compared  with  this  detailed  account  of  mediaeval 
education.  Strabo  was  also  a  voluminous  prose  writer; 
biography,  a  treatise  on  the  Divine  Offices,  and  a  Bible 
commentary  help  to  make  up  the  catalogue  of  his  works. 

Of  the  few  ninth  century  hymns  the  famous  "Gloria, 
laus,  et  honor  tibi  sit,  rex  Christe  redemptor/'  a  hymn 
for  Palm  Sunday,  was,  according  to  tradition,  sung  in 
prison  on  that  day  in  the  year  812  by  its  author  Theo- 
dolph  the  persecuted  Bishop  of  Orleans.  The  story  goes 
that  the  tyrant  in  passing  heard  the  song  and  impressed 
either  by  it,  or  the  triumphant  faith  of  the  imprisoned 


36  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Bishop,  brought  about  his  release. 

The  "Ave  Maris  Stella"  the  great  hymn  of  the  An- 
nunciation and  the  parent  of  all  the  hymns  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  probably  belongs  to  this  age,  although  its  exact 
date  and  its  authorship  are  unknown. 

Mediaeval  Music 

The  ninth  century  gives  us  the  sequence  fully  developed 
by  Notker  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Gall.  It  previously 
had  been  the  custom  to  prolong  the  last  syllable  of  the 
Alleluia  to  cover  the  time  spent  in  carrying  the  Missal 
from  one  side  of  the  altar  to  the  other  between  the  read- 
ing of  the  Epistle  and  the  Gospel.  The  sequence  in  rhyth- 
mic prose  gave  a  syllable  to  each  tone  sung  and  was  a  great 
improvement  over  the  older  artificial  expedient  of  prolong- 
ing the  ia  through  dozens  of  notes.*  In  speaking  of  the 
sequence  "Sancti  Spiritus  adsit  nobis  gratia"  which  Dan- 
iel attributes  to  Notker,  Mone  calls  it  a  troparion  and 
prints  the  twenty-four  prose  sentences  of  Daniel's  version 
in  sixty-four  short  lines.  He  says  further  it  takes  the 
place  of  the  "mill-groaning."  This  allusion  to  the  abuses 
of  the  droning  of  the  choir  is  illustrated  by  the  follow- 
ing stanza: 

"Terit  mo  la  far  inula 
dum  virgo  parit  tenera 
furfurum,  cribratum,  partum  parit 
creatura  creatorem  parit 
tar  a  tantarizate, 
cor  da  vestra  Deo  praeparate"  etc. 


♦See  page  79  of  the  Appendix. 


ALLELUIA 


•"■"" 

— :-* 

ft 

c 

A       "ffl 

ffi/*      nr 

n 

■•■■■ 

*<*      W 

^A1* 

da 

i 

EX 

S8B 

-a- 

■  ■"» 

W 

Al-ie-lu 


la 


V 

— ; a — a 

-*-*■* a — ■"'b  m — — 

i —            "^ — , 
"♦"a m* — 

-^-B- 

\*  -* 

*'    T 

SEQUENTIA 


*            a"1"11!! 

+***      «"■        »«> 

«   mm               "   ■ 

a  TO 

Au-ro-ra    lu-cis    ru-ti-lat    coe-lum    lau-di-bus    in-to-nat 


^ 

AV 

9    Mr  ffi    J   4L& 

%J 

rtt 

-^-ar 

/ 

» ■  fit  - ■*$>■   as-  ■  i 

8  B  0  /  W 

Tb 

■7 

. 

/ 

1 

1 

7 

Glo-ri-a     Patri,     et     Fi-li-o,     et     Spiri-tui     Sancto 


*- 


^g^Hh^^-jHa-^fj-afg-a^-  Yi* 


Si -cut     e-rat     in     principio,     et     nunc,     et     semper 


ft 


$   f    M   g    # 


i 


Et  in  sae-cu-la  saecu-lo-rum.    A -men. 


38  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

also  this: 

"Quern  nunc  virgo  peperit 
Verlazuis,  zuis,  zuis 
Verla  susanyuna,"  etc. 

The  sequence  "Cantemus  cuncti  melodum  nunc  Alle- 
luia' is  believed  to  be  Notker's  and  the  famous  "Victimae 
paschali  laudes"  which  has  ten  translations  also  is  at- 
tributed to  him  by  some  authorities.  It  is  one  of  the  few 
preserved  in  the  Roman  Missal.  More  famous  yet  is 
the  wonderful  "Antiphona  in  morte"  which  in  transla- 
tion still  is  used  in  the  burial  service  of  the  Church  of 
England  and  her  branches: 

"Media  vita 
In  morte  sumus; 
Quern  quaerimus  ad)utorem, 
Nisi  te,  Domine, 
i  Qui  Pro  peccatis  nostris 

Juste  irasceris! 
Sancte  Deus,  sancte  fortis, 
Sancte   et   misericors  Salvator, 
Amarae  morti 
Ne  tradas  nos!" 

Rabanus  makes  this  interesting  allusion  to  antiphonal 
singing : 

" Alternantes  concrepando  melos 
damus  vacibus/' 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  39 

which  Nealc  translates: 

"Meetly  in  alternate  chorus 
Bearing  our  responsive  part" 

Antiphonal  singing  undoubtedly  was  used  by  the  early 
Christians  as  there  was  precedent  in  Greek  antiphons  and 
the  responsive  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  Psalter  in  the 
synagogue  worship.  Pliny  the  younger  refers  to  the 
Christians  singing  "secum  invicem"  The  writings  of 
Ignatius  imply  the  use  of  responsive  singing  and  the 
church  at  Antioch  of  the  time  of  Constantine  II  is  known 
to  have  had  this  custom. 

When  Ambrose  introduced  the  use  of  hymns  he  un- 
doubtedly added  melodies  to  the  music  which  had  been 
simple  chants.  The  wider  range  of  the  scales  which 
he  is  believed  to  have  founded  on  the  Greek  tetrachords 
indicates  this  higher  development  of  musical  form.  To 
the  four  scales  of  Ambrose,  the  Dorian,  the  Phrygian, 
the  Lydian  and  the  Mixed-Lydian,  Gregory  added  three. 
The  former  the  Authentic  were  scales  in  the  keys  of  D, 
E,  F,  and  G,  and  the  latter  the  Plagal  were  in  A,  B,  and 
C.  Gregory  besides  introducing  Eastern  innovations,  in 
order  to  reform  abuses,  established  a  definite  method  of 
singing  for  all  the  services  of  the  Church.  He  caused 
an  authoritative  Antiphonary  to  be  made  which  was 
chained  to  the  desk  of  St.  Peter's  Cathedral  and  the  only 
form  permitted.  Copies  of  it  were  made  and  the  Gregor- 
ian chant  spread  throughout  the  West.  An  Antiphony 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Gall  where 
music  especially  was  studied  and  Notker's  work  is  an  evi- 


40  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

dence  of  the  advances  made  there. 

It  may  not  be  ill-timed  to  state  briefly  what  music  was 
at  the  time  of  the  earliest  hymns  and  sequences.  Isidore,  a 
writer  in  Gregory's  time,  gives  this  definition  in  his  Sen- 
tence on  Music ,  "Harmonious  music  is  a  modulation  of  the 
voice.  It  is  also  the  union  of  simultaneous  sounds."  Such 
harmony  as  existed  must  have  been  very  rudimentary, 
but  melody  was  highly  developed  according  to  the  author 
of  the  article  on  plain  chant  in  Grove's  Dictionary  of 
Music.  He  declares  no  more  wonderful  succession  of 
single  notes  ever  had  been  strung  into  melodies  so  adapted 
to  the  words  which  were  sung.  What  was  inaugurated 
in  Gregory's  time,  if  tradition  is  right,  became  highly 
developed  by  the  thirteenth  century  when  the  "Tenebrae" 
of  Holy  week  and  the  "Exultet"  of  Easter  Eve  reach 
the  depth  of  woe  and  the  height  of  exultation.  Judging 
by  the  plain  chant  of  "Le  Paroissien  Note" — a  note-book 
for  priests  now  in  use  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church — 
the  tones  succeed  each  other  in  intervals  that  harmonize 
with  each  other,  with  chromatic  turn  effects  interspersed 
and  ending  with  a  major  interval  for  the  expression  of 
joy,  a  minor  interval  for  lamentation. 

To  the  ninth  century  belongs  the  first  known  attempt 
at  a  metrical  treatment  of  the  Psalms  in  a  collection  en- 
titled "Ad  Dominum  clamaveram."  At  this  period  also 
dialogues  made  out  of  the  Gospel  narratives  were  arrang- 
ed to  be  sung.  This  method  of  the  so-called  School  of 
Romanus  fell  into  disuse  by  the  tenth  century  and  its  ex- 
istence was  unknown  to  so  thorough  a  student  of  ancient 
hymns  as  Neale.  These  dialogues  must  have  been  adapted 
to  use  in  the  mystery  and  miracle  plays,  and  were  pos- 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  4 1 

sibly  the  germ  of  the  oratorio  and  even  of  the  opera.  They 
were,  like  the  sequences,  rhythmic  but  not  in  strict  metre. 
There  is  a  mediaeval  hymn,  "De  XI  mille  virginibus " 
which  is  divided  into  what  are  called  " 'responsoria  et  ver- 
sus/' for  instance: 

Resp.  "Deo  voto  fuit  nata 

placans  cunctis,  Deo  grata 
Ursula  regalis," 

then  the  versus  expresses  approval  of  what  has  been  sung 
of  the  saint  somewhat  in  the  manner  of  the  Greek  chorus. 

The  introit,  a  sentence  sung  before  and  after  the  ap- 
pointed Psalm,  sometimes  was  introduced  by  a  little  verse 
or  phrase  known  as  the  tropus.  It  was  later  made  the  unit 
of  a  system  of  strophes  called  the  troparium.  "The  never 
sleeping  guardian — the  patron  of  my  soul — the  guide  of 
my  life"  is  a  combination  of  three  troparia.  Three,  four, 
or  five  made  an  ode,  and  eight  or  nine  odes  made  a 
canon.  This  was  probably  an  adjustment  of  words  to 
the  tune  or  melody. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  tenth  century,  Hucbald  of 
Flanders  gives  rules  for  the  organum  or  diaphony  which 
seem  to  authorize  the  use  of  successive  fourths,  fifths,  and 
octaves  now  forbidden,  but  Dr.  Paul  believes  this  was  a 
sort  of  counter-point,  the  voices  only  starting  at  these  in- 
tervals. When  true  harmony  began  is  not  known.  Ritter 
says  in  his  History  of  Music  that  the  Gregorian  plain 
chant  and  the  folk-song  are  "the  two  factors  which  form 
the  foundation  upon  which  all  forms  of  our  musical  art 
rest." 


42  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Musical  notation  was  very  incomplete.  The  neumae, 
crooks  and  strokes  of  various  shapes  and  in  various  posi- 
tions, were  placed  over  the  words  to  indicate  pitch  and 
duration  of  sound.  Until  the  eleventh  century  only  two 
lines  of  the  staff  were  used  when  Guido  of  Arezzo  who 
introduced  solemnization  added  two  more  and  so  gave  the 
neumae  a  more  definite  place.  Measures  were  unknown 
and  when  they  began  to  be  used  there  were  still  but  two 
kinds  of  notes:  %  longa  and  ■  brevis.  In  the  early 
thirteenth  century  these  were  increased  to  four,  ^  du- 
plex-longa,  and  ♦  semi-brevis  being  added.  These  signs 
are  still  used  in  the  plain  song  books  of  priests  and  no 
measures  indicated.  Franco  of  Cologne  at  this  date  men- 
tions two  kinds  of  time:  the  imperfect  and  the  perfect, 
which  was  triple-time,  the  trinity  being  the  symbol  of 
perfection.  There  was  also  in  the  Middle  Ages  a  kind  of 
counter-point,  generally  for  three  voices,  which  was  called 
faux-bourdon.  It  consisted  of  a  succession  of  chords  of 
the  sixth  accompanying  the  cantus  firmus  of  a  Gregorian 
chant.  This  was  considered  a  frivolous  invention  in  the 
fourteenth  century.  It  certainly  gave  opportunity  for 
mischievous  choir  boys  to  sing  secular  words  as  variations 
to  the  original  chant  and  so  to  desecrate  worship. 

The  Tenth  Century 

By  the  tenth  century  the  invocation  of  the  Virgin  and 
the  Saints  became  prominent  and  from  that  time  on, 
hymns  to  their  honor  are  in  the  majority.  In  Notker's 
sequence  "De  naiwitate  Domini"  the  fourth  line  reads, 
"Hodie  seculo  maris  Stella  est  enixa  novae  salutis  gaudia;" 
this  is  the  first  use  of  the  words  maris  Stella  known.     In 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  43 

the  Vulgate  edition  of  the  Bible,  Gen.  I  10,  "appellavit 
maria  et  vidit  Deus  quod  esset  honum"  and  Psalm  XXIV 
2,  "super  maria  fundavit  eum*  were  regarded  as  symbolic 
of  Maria  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  she  often  is  referred  to 
as  the  sea  or  of  it.  This  earliest  known  hymn  addressed 
to  her,  while  praying  to  her  for  peace,  light,  protection, 
and  bona  cuncta  gives  glory  to  her  Son  and  contains  these 
beautiful  verses: 

"Vitam  praesta  puram, 
Iter  para  tutum, 
Ut  videntes  Jesum 
Semper  collaetemur" 

and  closes  with  a  doxology.  Mrs.  Hemans's  Evening 
Hymn  is  the  best  known  of  the  hymns  translating  "Ave 
Maris  Stella'  or  written  in  imitation  of  it.  This  famous 
hymn  has  at  least  eight  versions  in  English,  many  in 
every  modern  language,  and  is  one  of  the  few  hymns  of  the 
kind  to  find  a  place  in  March's  collection. 

Mone's  "Lateinische  Hymnen  des  Mittelalters"  Vol- 
ume I  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  hymns  singing  of 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  Christian  Faith ;  Volume  II  has 
three  hundred  hymns  addressing  the  Virgin  Mary,  and 
Volume  III,  five  hundred  and  ninety-five  hymns  lauding 
the  Saints.  St.  Anne,  for  instance,  has  twenty-five  hymns 
or  sequences  dedicated  to  her  glory  as  mother  of  Mary 
and  thus  intimately  connected  with  the  scheme  of  salva- 
tion. Tributes  are  paid  to  saints  and  martyrs  for  their 
good  works  or  their  especial  gifts  and  graces  and  their  aid 
invoked  in  harmony  with  these  qualities.     A  line  in  a 


44  ^  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

hymn  about  St.  Ambrose  reads,  "Vitae  meae  rege  curium" 
an  evident  allusion  to  his  wisdom  and  piety.  The  numer- 
ous hymns  of  this  character  indicate  the  direction  in  which 
the  church  in  the  West  was  developing.  Often  in  these 
hymns  to  be  used  on  Saints'  days,  the  ascriptions  of  praise 
to  the  Deity  are  confined  to  the  doxology  at  the  close 
and  even  there  the  name  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  sometimes 
is  found. 

To  the  latter  half  of  the  tenth  century  belongs  the 
"Chorus  novae  Jerusalem"  which  has  a  place  in  the  old 
Breviary  of  England,  but  not  in  the  Roman  Breviary.  It 
is  a  fine  Whitsuntide  hymn  and  has  attracted  a  dozen 
English  translators.  This  hymn  is  attributed  to  Fulbert 
of  Chartres,  also  the  "Nuntium  vobis  fero  de  supernis" 
which  March  assigns  to  Gregory  under  the  title  "De 
epiphania" 

The  Dawn  of  the  Modern  Age 

To  the  eleventh  century,  sometimes  called  the  dawn 
of  the  modern  age  because  it  was  a  century  of  beginnings, 
belongs  the  collection  of  Latin  Hymns  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
Church  preserved  through  the  upheaval  of  the  Norman 
conquest  which  was  so  to  alter  British  usages.  Gothic 
architecture,  musical  notation,  and  the  invention  of  rag- 
paper  illustrate  the  varied  activities  of  the  age,  while 
troubadours  and  crusaders  flourished  and  a  great  religious 
revival  brings  to  the  fore  Hildebrand,  Anselm  of  Canter- 
bury, and  Pietro  Damiani,  the  flagellant.  Hymn-writers 
were  not  numerous,  but  to  the  eleventh  century  belongs 
the  loveliest  of  Latin  hymns : 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  45 

Veni,  Sancte  Spiritus, 
Et  etnitte  coelitus    i 
Lucis  tuae  radium. 
Vent,  pater  pauperum. 
Veni,  dator  munerutn. 
Veni,  lumen  cordium. 

Consolator  optime, 
Dulcis  hospes  animae, 
Duke  refrigerium; 
In  labore  requies, 
In  aestu  temperies, 
In  fletu  solatium. 

0  lux  beatissima, 
Reple   cordis  intima 
Tuorum  fidelium! 
Sine  tuo  numine 
Nihil  est  in  ho  mine, 
Nihil  est  innnoxium. 

Lava  quod  est  sordidum. 
Riga  quod  est  aridum, 
Sana  quod  est  saucium; 
Flecte  quod  est  rigidum, 
Fove  quod  est  frigidum. 
Rege  quod  est  devium! 

Da  tuis  fidelibus 
In  te  confitentibus 
Sacrum  septenarium; 
Da  virtutis  meritum, 
Da  salutis  exitum, 
Da  perenne  gaudium! 

It   is   included    in   "the   seven   great   hymns,"   and    is 
beyond  question  one  of  the  three  most  beautiful  hymns 


46  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

to  the  Holy  Spirit.  Hymns  so  addressed  are  not  numer- 
ous, but  are  remarkable  for  elevation  of  tone  and  depth  of 
feeling.  It  has  been  the  general  belief  that  Robert  II 
of  France,  whom  historians  portray  as  an  inefficient  king 
but  a  beautiful  character,  was  the  author  of  the  "Veni, 
Sancte  Spiritus."  He  wrote  several  sequences,  none  of 
them  worthy  of  note.  Duffield  and  others  believe  it  was 
written  by  Hermann  the  Cripple,  a  scholarly  and  saintly 
monk  of  Reichenau,  who  was  a  celebrated  writer  on 
music.  The  famous  sequence  "Salve  Regina  mater  miser- 
icordiae"  is  certainly  Hermann's.  He  is  known  to  have 
made  a  translation  from  the  Arabic  of  Aristotle's  Poetics. 
His  unusual  character  is  shown  in  the  fact  that  he,  who 
is  surnamed  Contractus  (the  cripple),  is  also  called  hilaris- 
simus  (most  cheerful). 

Pietro  Damiani  already  has  been  referred  to  as  illus- 
trating Augustinian  influence.  Besides  the  hymns  previ- 
ously mentioned  as  his,  he  wrote  "Gravi  me  terrore  pulsas, 
vitae  dies  ultimata"  which  has  been  described  as  the  "Dies 
Irae"  of  the  day  of  death  instead  of  the  day  of  judgment. 
It  is  awful  in  its  details  of  horror.  His  Easter  hymn 
"Paschalis  festi  gaudium"  and  his  "Paule,  doctor  egregie" 
are  of  admitted  merit.  He  wrote  many  hymns  to  the 
Virgin  and  the  saints  but  his  greatest  hymn  is  "Ad  per- 
ennis  vitae  fontem"  which  Daniel  calls  a  pearl  for  our 
treasury.  It  is  not  one  of  the  seven  hymns,  but  it  might 
well  be,  as  it  is  certainly  superior  to  the  "Stabat  Mater 
speciosa."  Mrs.  Charles  has  translated  it  adequately  and 
there  are  fourteen  other  English  versions. 

Pietro,  cardinal  and  flagellant,  was  an  earnest  reformer. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  "Liber  Gemorrhianus"  address- 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  47 

cd  to  Pope  Leo  IX  exposing  prevalent  abuses.  The 
flagellation  which  he  advocated  and  practised  was  to  be 
the  antidote  to  self-indulgence.  The  Psalter  was  recited 
to  an  accompaniment  of  blows  of  the  scourge.  Every 
Psalm  called  for  one  hundred  strokes,  and  so  the  whole 
required  fifteen  thousand! 

Of  the  hymns,  of  unknown  authorship  of  this  century 
a  very  interesting  "Cantus  peregrinantium'  has  these 
lines : 

"Ducem    nobis    praebe, 
angelum  adhibe, 
qui  nos  deducat  ante  te! 

Iter  nostrum  rege, 
ab  hoste  defende 

et  ad  propriam  reduce! 

Dexteram  extende, 
sinistram  submove, 
et  adversis  nos  defende!" 

Neale's  rendering  of  these  verses  is: 

"Thy  faithful  guardian  send 
The  angel  who  may  tend 
And  bring  us  to  Thy  holy  seat. 

Defend  our  onward  path, 
Protect  from  hostile  wrath 
And  to  our  land  return  our  feet. 

Thy  right  hand  be  stretched  out, 

Thy  left  be  round  about, 

In  every  peril  that  we  meet !" 


48  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

There  are  some  errors  in  the  original  text  but  the  spirit 
is  one  of  humility  and  sincere  piety.  Much  of  this 
Pilgrim's  Song  is  as  suitable  a  prayer  for  a  traveler  now 
as  it  was  nine  hundred  years  ago. 

The  Twelfth  Century 

In  Latin  hymnody  no  century  was  more  productive  of 
great  things  than  the  twelfth.  The  work  of  Marbod 
who  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  foremost  poet  of  his 
day  overlaps  the  preceding  century.  From  him  we  have 
the  finest  specimen  of  rhymed  Latin  verse  we  possess : 

OR  AT  10  AD  DOMINUM 

Deus-homo,  Rex  coelorum, 
Miserere  miserorum; 
Ad  peccandum  proni  sumus, 
Et  ad  hutnum  redit  humus; 
Tu  ruinam  nostram  fulci 
Pietate  tua  dulci. 
Quid  est  homo,  proles  Adaef 
Germen  necis  dignum  clade. 
Quid  est  homo,  nisi  vermis, 
Res  infirma,  res  inermis? 
Ne  digneris  huic  irasci, 
Qui  non  potest  mundus  nasci: 
Noli,  Deus,  hunc  damnare, 
Qui  non  potest  non  peccare; 
Iudicare  non  est  aequum 
Creaturam,  non  est  tecum: 
Non  est  miser  homo  tanti, 
Ut  respondeat  Tonanti. 
Sicut  umbra,  sicut  fumus, 
Sicut  foenum  facti  sumus: 
Miserere,  Rex  coelorum, 
Miserere  miserorum. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  49 

There  are  no  more  musical  couplets  in  any  tongue  than 
these  eleven  pairs  of  verses.  It  is  evident  that  in  Mar- 
bod's  time  the  diphthong  ae  rhymed  with  e,  vid.  Adae, 
clade.  This  is  doubtless  regarded  as  a  late-Latin  corrup- 
tion by  the  restorers  of  the  Roman  method  of  pronuncia- 
tion. A  specimen  of  Marbod's  dactylic  hexameter  verse 
may  be  found  in  March's  collection,  a  hymn  on  the 
Resurrection  beginning,  "Credere  quid  dubitem  fieri  quod 
posse  probatur."  His  poem  "De  Gemmis"  containing  the 
mythology  of  precious  stones  and  their  virtues  was  a  great 
favorite  in  the  Middle  Ages.  He  was  a  good  Bishop  as 
well  as  a  popular  poet,  governing  wisely  his  diocese  of 
Rennes. 

It  is  a  rare  experience  to  find  an  early  hymn  written 
by  a  woman.  Besides  the  "Aurea  luce"  of  Elpis  whose 
date  is  uncertain,  we  have  in  this  century  one  hymn  at- 
tributed to  Hildegard,  "O  ignis  Spiritus"  and  one  to  the 
noted  Heloise,  "Requiescat  a  labore."  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  both  of  these  attributions  are  now  disputed. 

The  twelfth  century  offers  the  hymns  of  the  two  Ber- 
nards, Abelard,  Peter  the  Venerable,  Hildebert,  and  Adam 
of  St.  Victor.  It  speaks  well  for  the  training  in  Latin  in 
the  monasteries  that  it  could  be  used  so  artistically  by  men 
of  genius  of  whom  it  was  not  the  native  language.  Trou- 
badours were  singing  in  the  tongues  of  the  Northwest 
but  churchmen  were  loyal  to  the  language  of  Constantine 
and  to  the  Western  Church.  They  consecrated  their 
talents  to  sacred  song  in  the  language  made  sacred  by 
ecclesiastic  Association. 

Hildebert,  Archbishop  of  Tours,  wrote  ten  thousand 
verses.     His  prem  to  the  three  Persons  of  the  Trinity  is 


50  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

laden  with  theological  distinctions  that  are  ill-adapted  to 
poetical  treatment.  Whatever  the  artistic  defects  of  the 
"Alpha  et  Omega,  magne  Deus"  a  creed  in  rhyme,  it 
is  very  lofty  in  tone  and  of  deep  import.  It  is  difficult  to 
imagine  how  so  profound  a  theme  could  be  better  handled 
in  verse.  It  has  attracted  several  translators  and  its 
closing  verses,  beginning  "Me  receptet  Sion  ilia"  are  found 
in  modern  hymnals.  Archbishop  Trench  and  Neale  rank 
them  very  high. 

The  foremost  churchman  of  his  age  was  Bernard  of 
Clairvaux.  He  was  in  his  youth  under  the  English  abbot, 
Stephen  Harding,  at  Citeaux  and  from  there  went  out 
to  found  Clairvaux,  turning  a  desolate  valley  into  a 
veritable  garden  of  the  Lord.  Like  Augustine,  this  twelfth 
century  saint  had  a  saintly  mother.  His  four  brothers 
followed  him  into  the  monastic  life.  Of  a  magnetic  per- 
sonality, tall,  thin  and  very  fair,  an  earnest  preacher,  he 
was  a  marked  figure  in  the  world  of  his  day.  His  life 
was  full  of  activity,  his  hymns  are  full  of  quiet  trustful- 
ness. This  energetic  missionary  was  a  man  of  deep  devo- 
tion and  sincere  piety. 

His  famous  hymn  The  Name  of  Jesus  has  come  down 
to  us  in  different  forms.  March  gives  ninety-six  of  the 
best  verses.  The  hymn  is  divided  easily  into  groups  of 
stanzas,  each  group  making  a  hymn  of  ordinary  length. 
The  first  twenty  lines  are  familiar  to  all  in  the  beautiful 
version  in  English  by  Caswell  which  may  be  found  in 
the  Hymnal  of  the  Episcopal  Church: 

Jesus,  the  very  Thought  of  Thee  with  Sweetness  Fills 
the  Breast. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  51 

The  Latin  text  is: 

DE  NOMINE  JESU 

Iesu  dulcis  metnoria 
Dans  vera  cordis  gaudia, 
Sed  super  mel  et  omnia 
Eius  dulcis  praesentia. 

Nil  canitur  suavius, 
Audituf  nil  iucundius 
Nil  cogitatur  dulcius 
Quam  Iesus,  Dei  filius. 

Iesu,  spes  poenitentibus 
Quam  pius  es  petentibus, 
Quam  bonus  te  quaerentibus 
Sed  quid  invenieniibus? 

Nee  lingua  valet  dicere, 
Nee  litera  exprimere 
Expertus  potest  credere     . 
Quid  sit  Iesum  diligere. 

These  verses  are  a  good  illustration  of  iambic  dimeter 
rhyming  in  fours.  The  Latin  stanza  quoted  below  is  the 
original  of  Ray  Palmer's : 

"Jesus  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts ! 
Thou  Fount  of  life!   Thou  Light  of  men! 
From  the  best  bliss  that  earth  imparts 
We  turn  unfilled  to  Thee  again." 

"Iesu,  dulcedo   cordium, 
Fons  vivus,  lumen  mentium, 
Excedens  omne  gaudium, 
Et  omne  desiderium." 


52  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

This  long  hymn  on  the  name  of  Jesus  doubtless  has  been 
the  inspiration  of  the  many  hymns  of  a  similar  nature  in 
every  language. 

St.  Bernard's  long  poem  "Ad  unum  quodlibet  membrum 
Christi"  contains  the  "Salve  Caput  cruentatum"  of  which 
O  Sacred  Head  now  Wounded  is  the  favorite  English 
version.  Other  parts  of  this  remarkable  series  of  hymns 
are  injured  by  painful  details,  especially  the  "Ad  Latus." 
While  the  merit  of  St.  Bernard's  hymns  is  beyond  ques- 
tion, their  tone  of  intimacy,  even  of  familiarity,  led  to 
dangerous  extremes,  and  introduced  a  tendency  to  be 
lamented.  They  were,  however,  the  utterance  of  an  un- 
bounded love,  of  a  faith  new-born.  It  is  said  that  the 
Gospel  had  a  new  meaning  to  him  when  he  discovered 
"it  was  intended  to  comfort  the  human  heart."  Does  not 
this  experience,  like  similar  ones  of  later  times,  make  evi- 
dent a  prevalent  misunderstanding  of  the  Gospel  which 
gave  rise  to  presenting  Christ  as  the  severe  Judge  rather 
than  the  merciful  Redeemer? 

Two  of  the  sayings  of  Bernard  are  worth  recording, 
"He  does  not  please  who  pleases  not  himself"  and  "Hold 
the  middle  line,  unless  you  wish  to  miss  the  true  method." 
Few  men  who  have  received  canonization  deserve  the 
honor  by  such  a  variety  of  superior  qualities  as  did  this 
noble,  earnest  Christian  priest. 

His  opponent  Abelard  was  a  contrast  to  him  in  more 
than  mere  opinion.  A  brilliant  thinker  who  overthrew 
the  Scholastic  doctrine  of  "universals,"  Abelard  was  of 
a  domineering  nature  and  harsh  even  to  those  he  loved. 
Pride  of  intellect  was  his  pitfall.  His  one  hundred  and 
six  hymns  are  little  known.    To  create  songs  that  others 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  53 

will  sing,  one  must  have  the  heart  of  a  singer.  In  Neale's 
Mediaeval  Hymns  may  be  found  a  translation  of  Abe- 
lard's  "Mittit  ad  Virginem"  a  hymn  in  dactylic  dimeter 
verse  on  the  Annunciation.  Quite  different  was  the 
character  of  his  generous  friend  Peter  the  Venerable  who 
received  Abelard  into  the  Abbey  of  Cluny  when  other 
doors  were  closed  to  him.  Peter's  "Mortis  portis  fractis 
fortis"  is  a  stirring  Easter  hymn. 

The  black  monks  of  Cluny  had  a  greater  poet  in  the 
other  Bernard  whose  long  poem  of  three  thousand  lines, 
"De  Contemptu  Mundi"  contains  the  verses  on  the  Heav- 
enly Land  which  have  given  him  enduring  fame.  From 
this  part  which  is  entitled  "Laus  patriae  coelestis"  Neale 
took  the  material  for  three  great  English  hymns,  Brief 
Life  is  here  our  Portion,  For  Thee,  O  Dear,  Dear  Coun- 
try, and  Jerusalem  the  Golden.  Neale  also  gives  in  The 
World  is  very  Evil  a  version  of  the  verses  beginning : 

"Hora  novissima,  tempora  pessima  sunt,  vigilemus. 
Ecce  minaciter  imminet  arbiter  ille  supremus" 

The  hexameter  verses  are  made  very  musical  by  a  suc- 
cession of  five  dactyls.  The  Church  is  indebted  to  the 
Prior  of  Cluny  for  the  most  radiant  picture  of  the  City  of 
the  Christian's  hope  outside  the  Apocalypse. 

Adam  of  St.  Victor  was  a  poet  whom  the  dialectical 
atmosphere  of  a  theological  school  could  not  spoil.  His 
fault  to  the  ordinary  reader  is  that  his  allusions  are  ob- 
scure and  his  thought  full  of  difficult  symbolism.  He  is  a 
theologians'  poet  (a  favorite  of  both  Neale  and  Trench) 
rather  than  one  for  the  people,  excepting  in  his  master- 


54  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

pieces.  In  1858,  by  the  discovery  of  a  manuscript,  the 
number  of  his  known  hymns  was  increased  from  thirty- 
six  to  one  hundred  and  eight.  Of  these  March  publishes 
eight,  and  translations  of  eleven  are  given  in  Neale's 
Mediaeval  Hymns.  His  "Zyma  vetus  expurgitur"  and 
"Simplex  in  essentia"  may  not  attract  many  readers  but 
two  of  his  hymns  rank  among  the  best,  "Heri  mundus 
exultavit,"  about  St.  Stephen,  and  "Veni,  Creator  Spir- 
itus,  Spiritus  recreator"  one  of  the  famous  hymns  on 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  remarkable  hymn  whose  author  is  unknown, 
belongs  to  this  period,  the  "Cum  revolvo  toto  corde" 
which  is  plainly  the  precursor  of  the  "Dies  Irae."  Take 
for  example  these  verses : 

"Dies  ilia,  dies  vitae 
Dies  lucis  inauditae 
Et  mors  ipsa  morietur 
Qua  nox  omnis  destruetur'* 

Its  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  verses  are  divided  by 
Mone  into  five  parts.  It  is  more  personal  than  the  "Dies 
Irae"  and  has  more  about  the  rewards  of  the  blessed. 
Mrs.  Charles  has  an  excellent  translation  of  the  last  part. 

The  Age  of  the  Giants 

The  thirteenth  century,  the  age  of  Francis  and  Dom- 
inic, has  been  called  the  Age  of  the  Giants.  Of  great 
hymn-writers  it  produced  Thomas  Aquinas,  Bonaventura, 
Thomas  of  Celano,  and  Jacoponous. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  55 

Of  anonymous  hymns,  we  notice  "Recolamus  sacram 
coenam"  which  is  found  in  translation  in  the  Lyra  Eu- 
charistica.    It  contains  the  stanza: 

"He  spake,  before  them  all 
Still  perfect  Man  He  stood, 
Though  what  he  ate  and  drank  he  named 
His  very  flesh  and  blood." 

The  "O  beata  beatorum  martyrum  certamina"  is  a 
fine  commemoration  of  the  martyrs  and  has  been  trans- 
lated by  Neale. 

Very  early  in  this  century  disciples  began  to  gather 
around  Francis  of  Assisi,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  char- 
acters in  the  history  of  the  Church.  Among  them  was 
Thomas  of  Celano,  who  wrote  the  life  of  St.  Francis  and 
to  whom  is  attributed  the  finest  Latin  hymn  ever  written, 
the  "Dies  Irae."*  It  is  perfect  in  form  and  it  is  said 
sound  and  sense  never  were  more  happily  united  in  any 
poem  in  any  tongue.  Goethe,  Scott,  and  Dr.  Johnson 
are  merely  representative  admirers  of  its  greatness.  Its 
use  in  the  closing  scenes  of  Faust  and  in  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel  shows  how  universal  is  its  application. 
That  Scott  repeated  parts  of  it  on  his  deathbed  and  that 
Dr.  Johnson  could  not  read  the  stanza  beginning  "Quaer- 
ens  me"  without  tears,  show  the  strength  of  its  appeal. 
It  is  used  in  the  Roman  Catholic  ritual,  and  is  as  suitable 
for  a  burial  service  as  for  All  Souls'  day.  Mozart's 
Requiem,  completed  as  he  was  dying,  is  a  worthy  setting 
for  this  sublime  hymn.     The  discriminating  world  is  of 


*"Dies  Irae'*  with  English  Translation  appendix  p.  79. 


56  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

accord  in  ascribing  to  it  preeminence.  Written  a  century 
before  the  Divina  Comedia  by  a  countryman  of  Dante,  it 
rises  to  the  same  height  in  its  appreciation  of  the  great 
issues  of  life  from  the  mediaeval  Christian  standpoint. 

The  popularity  of  the  "Dies  Irae"  has  brought  it  many 
translators,  whose  zeal  has  been  out  of  all  proportion  to 
their  ability  as  poets.  One  reads  these  versions  from  cur- 
iosity, but  turns  away  in  utter  dissatisfaction.  Students 
who  attempt  a  translation,  even  with  humiliating  results, 
gain  familiarity  with  every  phrase,  every  word,  which  is 
worth  securing  at  any  price.  In  English,  the  triple  rhym- 
ing verses  have  an  artificial  sound  which  detracts  from  the 
solemnity  of  the  effect,  and  the  closing  trochaic  foot  is  a 
weak  ending  without  finality.  DufHeld  mentions  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-four  published  English  versions  of  which 
ninety-six  are  by  American  authors.  In  Latin  the  three 
rhyming  words,  from  the  repetition  of  the  same  vowel 
sounds,  are  like  a  solemn  knell  and  remind  one  of  the  mu- 
sic of  cathedral  chimes.  A  few  other  hymns  are  accred- 
ited to  Thomas  of  Celano,  but  will  not  bear  comparison 
with  this  masterpiece.  This  stanza  will  recall  its  marvel- 
ous power : 

"Quaerens  me  sedisti  lassus, 
Redemisti  crucem  passus: 
Tantus  labor  non  sit  cassusl" 

The  last  five  stanzas  of  the  hymn  have  not  the  merit 
of  the  great  thirteen. 

With  this  one  notable  exception,  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury fell  below  its  predecessor  in  creative  work.  The 
Latin  passed  on  to  the  modern  languages  the  perfection 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  57 

of  rhyme  and  accentual  metre  it  had  attained  and  it 
began  to  take  the  place  of  honor  that  is  still  its  own,  one 
of  dignity  apart  from  everyday  life. 

Of  the  four  celebrated  hymn-writers  mentioned,  all 
were  Franciscan  monks  except  the  great  Thomas  Aquinas, 
who  was  a  Dominican.  This  Order  was  founded  seven 
years  later  than  the  Franciscan,  and  was  famous  for  schol- 
arship, especially  in  dialectics  and  theology.  Foremost 
among  the  scholars  of  his  day,  Thomas  Aquinas  found 
time  to  put  his  belief  in  the  Real  Presence  into  poetic 
form,  in  addition  to  writing  his  weighty  treatises,  which 
still  are  authoritative  in  the  Roman  communion.  He  felt 
as  well  as  thought  deeply  on  this  subject,  so  his  hymns  are 
touched  with  true  emotion.    His 

"Pange,  lingua,  gloriosi 
Corporis  mysterium, 
Sanguinisque  pretiosi" 

is  much  admired  by  Neale  and  venerated  by  all  Catholics. 
His  "O  esca  viatorum'  is  a  favorite  with  Protestants  also 
in  Ray  Palmer's  version  O  Bread  to  pilgrims  given.  The 
"Adoro  Te  devote j  latens  Deitas"  is  honored  by  a  place 
in  the  Roman  Missal.  "Lauda,  Sion,  Salvatorem"  has 
a  dozen  English  translators.  It  was  written  to  be  sung  on 
Corpus  Christi  Day,  the  Thursday  after  Trinity,  which 
was  set  apart  in  1261  for  this  observance.  In  121 5,  the 
fourth  Lateran  Council  had  enunciated  the  authorized 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation  in  an  attempt  to  silence  the 
doubts  of  Churchmen  and  to  bring  to  one  mind  the  Chris- 
tian world  concerning  this  greatest  of  Christian  sacra- 


58  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

mcnts.  The  early  communion  hymns  in  their  simplicity 
and  the  later  ones  like  the  "O  colenda  Deltas!'  a  prayer 
to  be  used  at  the  raising  of  the  Host,  teach  more  of  the 
truth  by  the  inspiration  of  a  "lifting  of  the  heart  to  God" 
than  any  doctrinal  exposition  can. 

Bonaventura,  the  Franciscan  friend  of  Thomas 
Aquinas,  exemplified  in  his  life  and  writings  the  gentler 
Christian  graces.  He  is  the  author  of  the  greatly  admired 
"Horae  de  passione  Jesu  Christi"  of  which  the  last  section 
"Ad  Completorium:  Qui  jacuisti  mortuus"  is  very  mov- 
ing. He  wrote  two  other  hymns  on  the  Passion  "Chris- 
tum ducem"  and  the  curiously  figurative  "Quantum  ha- 
mum  caritas  tibi  praesentavit."  His  famous  hymn  on  the 
cross,  "Recordare  sanctae  cruris/'  carries  its  glorification 
to  the  height  as  the  symbol  of  Salvation.  The  "Psalter- 
ium"  filling  six  hundred  lines  with  the  virtues  and  powers 
of  the  Virgin  Mary  has  been  attributed  to  Bonaventura. 
He  is  said  to  have  written  it  as  an  aid  to  private  devo- 
tions. 

The  use  of  the  rosary,  a  prayer  device  of  Eastern  devo- 
tees before  the  time  of  Christ,  was  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury taught  by  a  monk  of  St.  Dominic.  There  is  a  hymn 
to  Christ  which  was  to  be  used  in  saying  beads  but  the 
"Ave  Maria"  many  times  repeated,  with  an  occasional 
"Pater  Noster/'  soon  became  the  established  usage.  The 
purpose  was  undoubtedly  concentration  of  mind  in  long 
devotions. 

The  second  greatest  hymn  of  the  thirteenth  century  is 
the  justly  celebrated  "Stabat  Mater  dolorosa,"  whose 
author  was  an  eccentric  Franciscan  monk,  who  lived 
towards   the  close  of   the  century.       Jacoponus  was   a 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  59 

genius,  more  than  half  mad  it  seems,  and  yet  sane  enough 
to  write  his  own  epitaph  as  "a  fool  for  Christ's  sake." 
He  startled  the  world  by  his  oddities  and  went  so  far  in 
bold  acts  and  utterances  as  to  bring  upon  himself,  for  a 
time,  the  dire  penalty  of  excommunication.  One  sus- 
pects his  folly  was  assumed  as  a  cloak  for  the  zealous 
reformer.  He  died  in  1306  singing  the  "Anima  bene- 
dicta!*  the  song  of  a  blessed  soul,  and  receiving  his  last 
communion. 

Of  his  hymns  the  "Cur  mundus  militat  sub  vana 
gloria"  well  expresses  the  contempt  for  all  things  earthly 
which  his  life  showed.  What  others  sang  about,  Jaco- 
ponus  exemplified  by  indifference  to  any  standards  but 
spiritual  ones: 

"Quam  breve  festum  est  haec  mundi  gloria 
Et  umbra  hominis  sunt  ejus  gaudia." 

His  "Cur  relinquis  Deus  coelum?"  is  a  fine  hymn  and 
has  been  translated  well  by  Duffield.  A  man  who  could 
write  the  "Stabat  Mater  dolorosa"  was  a  true  poet,  one 
of  the  very  greatest,  and  perhaps  the  last  who  deserves 
this  title  among  the  writers  of  Latin  hymns.  Before  his 
day,  hymns  to  the  Virgin  had  become  very  numerous  and 
afterwards  were  even  more  abundant,  but  this  "Stabat 
Mater"  is  the  climax  of  them  all,  even  its  companion 
composition  the  "Stabat  Mater  speciosa,"  credited  to  Jaco- 
ponus  but  probably  not  his,  falls  far  below  it  though  both 
are  ranked  by  Noyes  among  the  seven  great  hymns. 

A  hymn  of  this  period  of  unknown  authorship,  Thomp- 
son thinks  should  have  more  English  translators  and  gen- 


60  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

eral  use  in  our  time,  it  is  the  "Jesu,  dulce  medicamen.' 
It  has  eight  stanzas  in  four  pairs.    One  is  as  follows: 

"In  adversis  patientem 
in  dolore  fac  gaudentem 

tua  me  dementia, 
in  secundis  temperatum 
in  moerore  non  turbatum 

laetum  in  injuria" 

Reichenauer  writes  that  it  is  "ein  schones  Lied  durch 
seine  Innigkeit  und  wohl  geordnete  Anlage,  die  eine  edle 
Haltung  giebt" 

The  Last  of  the  Latin  Hymns 

After  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century  there  are  few 
well-known  hymns;  those  written  to  the  Virgin  and  the 
Saints  greatly  increase  in  number.  There  are  long  poems 
composed  on  the  "Angeli  salutatio"  which  in  the  Vulgate 
reads : 

"Ave  Maria,  gratia  plena;  Dominus  tecum; 
Benedicta  tu  in  mulieribus" 

To  this  the  words  of  Elizabeth's  salutation  are  added, 
"Benedictus  Fructus  ventris  tui." 

In  the  "Ave  Maria!'  the  name  Jesus  follows  and  then 
comes:  "Sancta  Maria  ora  pro  nobis  peccatoribus  nunc  et 
in  hora  mortis  nostrae.  Amen/'  There  are  hymns  in 
which  each  verse  begins  with  one  of  these  words.    There 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  6 1 

are  others  founded  in  the  same  way  upon  the  famous 
hymns  in  her  praise.  Her  Seven  Joys  are  the  subject  of 
several.  "Omni  die  die  Mariae"  has  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  lines.  The  "Te  Matrem  laudamus'  modeled 
after  the  ancient  "Te  Deum  laudamus1'  is  preserved  in  the 
Roman  Breviary.  "Regina  coeli  laetare"  and  "Stella 
maris,  O  Maria"  are  hymns  of  poetic  value  and  among 
the  Latin  hymns  which  originated  in  Germany  we  find 
dating  from  the  fifteenth  century  the  lovely  "Puer  natus 
in  Bethlehem"  and  the  "Virginis  in  gremio."  The  Vir- 
gin's place  of  prominence  in  early  hymns  of  the  Nativity 
developed  naturally  in  later  ages  into  almost  countless 
entire  compositions  in  her  honor. 

The  last  two  volumes  of  Mone's  Latin  Hymns  of  the 
Middle  Ages  covering  as  they  do  the  Dark  Ages  of  liter- 
ature, have  little  of  poetic  value.  They  do,  however,  pre- 
serve among  much  inferior  work,  a  few  hymns  expressing 
genuine  feeling  in  melodious  form.  The  subject  matter 
of  the  third  volume  has  a  wide  range,  although  certain 
saints  often  are  honored.  St.  Ursula  has  many  verses  in 
her  praise.  The  "Ave  Martha  gloriosa"  portrays  the 
devout  woman  of  Bethany  as  patroness  of  Tarascon  in 
place  of  the  legendary  Britomart.  The  napkin  of  St. 
Veronica  has  its  song.  The  learned  Doctors  of  the 
Church  have  their  share  of  praise,  St.  Augustine  being 
lauded  at  great  length.  No  further  back,  however,  than 
this  age  of  decadence  of  Latin  hymnody  can  be  traced 
some  excellent  sequences.  The  "Majestati  sacrosanctae" 
whose  style  suggests  an  earlier  origin  is  one  of  the  best. 
Mauburn's  "Heu  quid  jaces  stabulo"  is  a  favorite  with  the 
translators.    Its  original  can  be  found  in  March's  Latin 


62  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Hymns.  "Novum  sidus  exoritur"  the  oldest  hymn  on 
the  Transfiguration  belongs  to  this  period.  There  are 
also  at  this  time  curious  hymns  partly  Latin  and  partly  in 
the  vernacular;  lower  than  this  mixed  form  hymnody 
could  not  fall. 

After  1452,  the  Breviaries  containing  all  the  ritual 
except  the  mass  were  in  use.  To  the  Sarum  Breviary 
we  owe  the  "Gollaudamus  Magdalena"  which  Daniels 
calls  a  very  sweet  hymn,  and  two  Transfiguration  hymns 
"Coelestis  formam  gloriae'  and  "O  nata  lux  de  lumine/' 
From  the  Sarum  Missal  we  also  have  "Si  vis  vere  gloriari1 
which  has  been  well  translated  by  Neale,  the  prince  of 
translators. 

Thomas  a  Kempis,  who  is  beloved  by  the  Christian 
world  as  the  author  of  the  celebrated  Imitation  of  Christ, 
is  credited  with  a  few  hymns ;  Wackernagel  publishes  two. 
March  has  the  "Adversa  Mundi  tolera"  on  the  grace  of 
patience  and  the  "Astant  angelorum  chori"  about  celestial 
joys.  Mone  gives  "Jerusalem  luminosa"  and  "Nee  quts- 
quam  oculis  videt.,J  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
"Imitatio  Christi"  is  in  rhythmical  prose.  Take  for  in- 
stance these  lines  :* 

"A mans  volat,  currit  et  laetatur; 

Liber  est,  et  non  tenetur; 

Dat  omnia  pro  omnibus, 

Et  habet  omnia  in  omnibus; 
Quia  in  uno  summo  super  omnia  quiescit 
Ex  quo  omne  bonum  fluit  et  procedit." 


*Imitatio  Christi  Book  I,  chap.  5. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  63 

From  the  York  Processional  of  the  sixteenth  century 
we  have  three  proses  which  begin  "Salve  festa  dies,  toto 
venerabilis  aevoJJ  following  Fortunatus  only  in  this  open- 
ing verse. 

The  humanists,  both  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic, 
of  this  age  sing  in  a  tongue  foreign  to  their  thoughts 
songs  of  praise  which  seem  too  much  like  Latin  exercises. 
A  few  of  Luther's  Latin  hymns,  however,  are  spontane- 
ous outpourings  of  emotion  and  there  are  some  other 
simple  but  good  ones  of  this  late  day. 

From  the  "Society  of  Jesus"  recently  organized  come 
hymns  of  unique  style.  They  are  full  of  a  passionate 
devotion  of  the  kind  first  manifested  plainly  in  St.  Ber- 
nard's poems.  The  "Dormi,  fili,  dormi"  is  of  so  intimate 
a  nature  as  to  seem  more  like  a  lullaby  than  a  sacred 
song.    One  stanza  will  illustrate  its  style: 

"Quidquid  optes,  volo  dare: 
dormi,  parve  pupule! 
dormi ,  fili,  dormi  carae 
matris  deliciolae." 

Other  famous  hymns  of  Jesuit  origin  are  "Pone  luctum 
Magdalena"  which  has  nine  English  translators,  and  the 
"Ecquis  binas  columbinas"  which  has  a  half-dozen  and 
has  a  place  in  the  original  in  both  March's  and  Arch- 
bishop Trench's  collections.  The  latter  hymn  is  intensely 
emotional.  "Altitudo,  quid  hie  jaces"  and  " Plaudit e 
coeli"*  are  great  favorites;  the  "Plaudite  coeli"  is  a  pre- 
cursor of  the  best  modern  Easter  hymns  with  its  refrain : 


*"Phudite  coeli"  with  English  version  appendix  page  81. 


64  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

"Nam  que  revixit 
Sicuti  dixit, 
Pius  Maes  us 
Funere  Jesus!" 

To  Xavier,  on  doubtful  evidence,  is  assigned  the  author- 
ship of  the  famous 

"O  Deus,  ego  amo  te, 
Nee  amo  te,  ut  salves  me 
Aut  quia  non  amantes  te 
Aeterno  funis  igne" 

From  the  prayer  book  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  we  have 
the  following  touching  prayer  which  the  world  of  her 
admirers  loves  to  believe  was  her  own  composition.  It 
was  certainly  on  her  lips  in  those  last  trying  hours  when 
her  life  was  sacrificed  because  of  its  dangerous  nearness 
to  the  throne  of  her  cousin  Queen : 

"O  Domine  Deusf 
Speravi  in  te; 
O  care  mi  Jesu! 
Nunc  libera  me: 
In  dura  catena, 
In  misera  poena 
Desidero  te; 
Languendo,  gemendo, 
Et  genuflectendo 
Adoro,  imploro, 
Ut  liber es  mel" 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  65 

It  may  be  rendered: 

0  Lord,  my  God! 

1  have  hoped  in  Thee. 
My  blessed  Lord! 

0  deliver  me: 

In  tedious  chains 
In  bitterest  pains 

1  long  for  Thee. 
Fainting  and  crying, 
At  Thy  feet  lying, 

I  adore  Thee,  I  implore  Thee, 
O  set  me  free! 

Collections  of  Hymns 

The  Roman  Breviary  now  in  use  was  published  in  1568 
and  superseded  all  the  diocesan  and  provincial  ones.  It 
has  been  revised  twice  and  now  is  published  in  four  closely 
printed  volumes  of  Latin  text.  It  contains  besides  proper 
Psalms,  prayers,  and  sermones  from  the  Church  Fathers, 
hymns  introduced  as  needed  for  daily  or  occasional  use. 
Pars  Verna  of  the  "Breviarum  Romanum"  has  ninety-one 
hymns;  Pars  A  estiva,  one  hundred  and  eleven;  Pars 
Autumnalis,  ninety-two  and  Pars  Hiemalis,  eighty-six. 
There  are  a  hundred  and  ninety  different  hymns;  thirty- 
seven  are  printed  in  each  of  the  four  volumes  and  many 
others  appear  in  more  than  one.  It  is  a  valuable  collec- 
tion of  old  Latin  4rymns ;  among  them  we  find  some  re- 
casts made  to  bring  the  Latin  nearer  to  the  classic  form. 
To  re-write  in  the  interest  of  style  sometimes  weakens 


66  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

the  presentation  of  the  subject  matter  and  thus  results  in 
a  loss  of  vigor  and  freshness.  Daniel  prints  fifty-five  of 
these  recasts  in  parallel  columns  with  the  old  forms.  The 
changes  often  are  very  slight,  merely  verbal  with  now 
and  then  a  stanza  revised  beyond  recognition. 

The  Order  of  Cluny  in  a  revision  of  the  Paris  Breviary 
which  continued  to  be  used,  substituted  new  hymns  for 
those  which  tradition  had  sanctioned.  Instead  of  recasts, 
hymns  were  rewritten  entirely.  The  Ambrosian  hymn 
"Ad  coenam  Agni  providi"  which  in  the  Roman  Breviary 
is  "Ad  regias  Agni  dapes"  is  in  Charles  Coffin's  revision 
"Forti  tegente  brachial  Jean  Santeul  contributed  to  the 
edition  of  1686  many  excellent  hymns,  among  them, 
Sainte-Beuve  pronounces  finest  the  "Stupete  gentes,  fit 
Deus  hostia"  of  which  Duffield  gives  the  Latin  text.  In 
the  1736  edition  of  the  Paris  Breviary  the  new  hymns 
were  twelve  to  one,  only  twenty-one  old  ones  being  re- 
tained, while  there  were  eighty-five  by  Santeul  and  nearly 
a  hundred  by  Charles  Coffin,  less  gifted  than  Santeul, 
but  a  man  of  talent  and  a  skillful  writer  of  Latin  verse. 
These  hymns  are  too  recent  to  be  included  in  mediaeval 
collections.  Newman's  "Hymni  Ecclesiae"  contains 
many  and  they  may  be  read  in  English  in  the  Hymns  of 
the  Paris  Breviary  translated  by  Williams. 

The  student  of  Latin  Hymns  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude 
to  their  zealous  collectors  from  the  Middle  Ages  down  to 
our  day.  German  scholarship  has  done  much  to  make  the 
hymns  accessible,  Daniel's  Thesaurus  in  five  volumes  ap- 
pearing from  1841-56,  and  the  three  volumes  of  Mone's 
"Lateinische  Hymnen  des  Mittelalters"  in  1853.  Migne's 
Patrologia — prose  and  verse — in  two  hundred  and  twen- 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  67 

ty-one  volumes  was  published  in  Paris  about  the  same 
date.  Of  English  students,  Newman,  Neale,  whose  Latin 
essay  on  Sequences  is  printed  in  Daniel's  Thesaurus,  and 
Trench  have  each  edited  collections  of  Latin  hymns. 
March  published  in  1875  a  volume  of  Latin  Hymns,  con- 
taining one  hundred  and  fifty  well-chosen  selections.  Duf- 
field  estimates  that  there  are  between  four  and  five  hun- 
dred Latin  hymns  suitable  for  present  day  use,  although 
as  in  all  literature  the  masterpieces  are  few. 

The  Value  of  Latin  Hymns 

The  study  of  Latin  Hymns  is  worth  all  the  time  and 
labor  that  have  been  or  can  be  expended  on  it,  since  there 
is  no  other  approach  so  direct  to  the  ages  in  which  they 
appear,  as  through  these  hymns  which  reveal  the  deepest 
desires,  strongest  hopes,  and  most  sincere  belief  of  minds 
that  were  among  the  best  of  their  time.  We  seem  to 
look  into  the  eyes  of  the  singers  as  we  feel  the  emotions 
of  these  poet-souls  of  the  past  Christian  ages.  They  wrote 
of  what  they  knew,  they  praised  what  they  prized.  They 
share  with  us  what  they  valued  more  than  any  earthly 
gain  or  renown,  the  spiritual  heritage  which  was  their 
refuge  amid  the  storm  and  stress  of  a  life  even  more  exact- 
ing than  ours,  their  shield  against  temptation,  and  their 
hope  of  eternal  life. 

In  the  study  of  Latin  Hymns  we  can  trace  the  course 
of  Christian  life  down  through  the  ages.  Those  of  the 
fourth  century  give  a  clearer  expression  of  great  funda- 
mental doctrines  than  do  the  hymns  of  later  centuries. 
Every  time  of  religious  revival  infuses  a  brighter  glow  of 


68  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

emotional  fervor  into  the  hymns  of  the  period,  just  as 
in  more  recent  years  Wesley,  Keble,  and  Moody  found 
the  hymn  the  natural  utterance  of  penitence  and  newly 
awakened  devotion.  The  subjective  treatment  found  in 
the  later  Latin  hymns  both  of  Jesuit  and  of  Protestant 
writers  shows  the  change  to  belong  to  the  age  rather  than 
to  the  shade  of  religious  conviction  of  the  poet. 

Hoffman  attributes  the  effect  that  the  best  hymns  have 
upon  us  to  their  simplicity  and  veracity.  "Here,"  he 
says,  "sounds  the  speech  of  a  general  confession  of  one 
heart  and  one  faith."  The  appeal  they  make  to  us  is 
convincing  proof  of  the  influence  they  have  had  for  all 
these  centuries  on  those  who  used  them.  This  thought 
gives  a  new  meaning  to  "the  communion  of  saints."  "All 
the  faithful,"  in  the  words  of  Thompson,  "are  bound  in 
spiritual  brotherhood  with  those  who  held  to  the  same 
Head  and  walked  in  the  light  of  the  same  faith  in  by-gone 
centuries."  Even  the  hymn-writers  who  differ  most 
widely  from  each  other  and  from  ourselves  as  to  the 
tenets  of  "the  Faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints"  when 
they  sing  of  the  manifestation  of  the  love  of  God  and  pro- 
claim the  good  tidings  of  His  Kingdom,  speak  a  language 
every  Christian  understands  and  to  which  the  heart  re- 
sponds in  the  twentieth  century  as  it  has  through  all  the 
Christian  ages. 


APPENDIX 


NOTES 


English  Versions 

Of  the  more  than  five  thousand  Latin  hymns  accessible 
to  him,  Mr.  Duffield  indexed  eight  hundred  and  seventy 
hymns,  recasts  of  hymns,  and  portions  of  hymns  treated  as 
whole  hymns.  Although  only  one  in  five  of  the  number 
preserved,  they  are  of  especial  interest  because  their  merit 
has  secured  for  them  translation  into  English.  Our  Eng- 
lish hymnody  has  been  enriched  by  versions  of  Latin 
hymns  from  the  time  of  Chandler  down  to  those  of  the 
present  day.  Their  poetic  excellence  and  loftiness  of 
devotion  make  them  of  equal  value  to  the  student  of  liter- 
ature and  to  the  historian  of  religious  thought. 

II 

Breviaries 

The  Breviaries  and  Missals  of  the  Western  Church  are 
the  sources  of  the  Latin  hymns  we  possess.  About  a 
hundred  Breviaries  were  printed  in  the  fifteenth  and  six- 
teenth centuries;    others  exist  in  manuscript  form. 

The  Paris  Breviary  was  published  in  1527,  its  new 
form  in  1736.     Part  I  of  Newman's  "Hymni  Ecclesiae" 

71 


72  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

is  from  the  Paris  Breviary  of  which  the  latest  edition  is 
largely  the  work  of  Jean  Santeul  and  Charles  Coffin. 

The  first  edition  of  the  Roman  Breviary  was  printed  in 
1 48 1  and  the  final  form  in  1631  to  which  a  few  addi- 
tions have  been  made  in  later  years.  The  Roman  Brevi- 
ary being  the  one  used  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  of 
this  country  is  the  most  accessible.  It  is  also  of  present 
interest  because  in  common  use  in  our  own  land,  and  as  its 
hymns  belong  to  all  ages  it  is  more  representative  of 
Latin  hymnody  than  any  other  of  the  Breviaries. 

Ill 

Hymns  of  the  Roman  Breviary 

One  hundred  and  ninety  Latin  hymns  are  contained  in 
the  Roman  Breviary  proper;  in  the  appendix  to  Pars 
Hiemalis  there  are  three  additional  ones  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Family. 

The  following  thirty-four  hymns  are  printed  in  each  of 
the  four  volumes: 

"Adspice  infami  Deus" 
"Alto  ex  Olympo  vertice" 
"Ave  maris  Stella" 
"Christe  sanctorum  decus" 
"Christo  profusum" 
"Coelestis  urbs  Jerusalem" 
"Coelitum  Joseph  decus" 
"Dpus  tuorum  militum" 
"Exultet  orbis  gaudiis" 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  73 

"Fortem  virili  pectore" 
"Hujus  oratu  Deus" 
"lnvicte  martyr" 
"Iste  confessor  Domini' 
"Jam  lucis  orto" 
"Jesu  corona  celsior" 
"Jesu  corona  virginum" 
"Jesu  Redemptor  omnium" 
"Memento  rerum  Conditor" 
"Moerentes  oculi" 
"Nunc  Sancte  nobis  Spiritus" 
"O  gloriosa  virginum" 
"Praeclara  custos  virginum" 
"Quern  terra  pontus  sidera" 
"Rector  potens" 
"Rerum  Deus  tenax" 
"Sacris  solemniis" 
"Saevo  dolorum" 
"Sanctorum  meritis" 
"Te  Joseph  celebrent" 
"Te  lucis  ante  terminum" 
"Te  splendor  et  virtus" 
"Verbum  supernum" 
"Virginis  proles. .  .Haec" 
"Virginis  proles.  .  .Hujus" 

This  list  is  made  up  of  those  suitable  for  use  through- 
out the  Church  year.  Five  hymns  are  for  the  Hours; 
five,  about  the  Virgin  Mary;  three,  about  the  Passion; 
two,  about  St.  Joseph;  and  two,  about  the  Holy  Com- 
munion.   The  martyrs  have  seven  hymns  in  their  praise; 


74  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

the  Confessors,  three ;  the  Angels,  two ;  and  the  Apostles, 
one.  Of  the  two  remaining,  one  is  "Urbs  coelestis  Jerusa- 
lem" and  the  other  for  use  at  the  dedication  of  a  church. 
Of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  hymns  not  included 
in  every  volume,  twenty-seven  appear  three  times,  thirty- 
three  twice  and  ninety-seven  only  once.  The  demands  of 
especial  occasions  and  seasons  and  the  many  definite  cele- 
brations of  Saints'  days  govern  the  arrangement. 

IV 

Dates  of  Published  Translations 

With  the  revival  of  the  study  of  primitive  hymnody 
numerous  translations  into  modern  languages  were  made, 
especially  into  German  and  English;  of  the  latter  the 
following  are  the  most  noteworthy. 

In  1 83 1  the  Rev.  Isaac  Williams  published  a  volume 
containing  twelve  hymns. 

In  1837  Chandler's  collection  of  one  hundred  and  eight 
hymns  appeared. 

In  1839,  Hymns  from  the  Paris  Breviary  by  Williams 
came  out. 

In  1845,  the  Rev.  John  Williams,  afterwards  Bishop 
of  Connecticut,  published  a  volume  of  forty  translations. 

In  1849  Caswell  who  left  the  Church  of  England  at 
the  time  that  Newman  did,  brought  out  all  the  hymns  of 
the  Roman  Breviary  and  Missal  in  an  English  version. 

In  1 85 1  and  1852  Neale  published  his  first  translations 
and  in  1858,  his  famous  Rhythms  of  Bernard  of  Clairvaux 
on  the  Celestial  Country. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  75 

In  1858  appeared  The  Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song 
by  Mrs.  Charles. 

In  1889  Duffield's  Latin  Hymn-Writers  and  their 
Hymns  was  published  containing  many  original  transla- 
tions. 

English  translations  from  various  sources  have  appeared 
from  time  to  time  in  periodicals  but  the  best  of  these 
as  well  as  of  those  of  the  authors  mentioned  above  are 
found  in  modern  hymnals. 


The  Seven  Great  Hymns 

The  seven  great  hymns  according  to  Noyes  who  pub- 
lished them  with  English  versions  in  1865  are: 

"Vexilla  Regis"  Fortunatus  :-  £ 

"Veni,  Creator  Spiritus"  Gregory  the  Great 

"Veni,  Sancte  Spiritus''  Hermann  or  Robert  'J 

"Laus  Patriae  Coelestis"  Bernard  of  Cluny  « 

"Stabat  Mater  Dolorosa"  Jacoponus 

''Mater  Speciosa"  Uncertain  authorship  HaTs*^** 

"Dies  Irae,  Dies  ilia"  Thomas  of  Celano  y 

VI 

"Le  Paroissien  Note" 

"Le  Paroissien  Note"  contains  the  Mass,  prayers  for 
confession  and  preparation  for  the  Holy  Communion,  the 


76  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Way  of  the  Cross,  and  the  services  for  Holy  days  and 
Saints'  days  of  the  Church  year. 

It  has  the  music  written  on  a  four-lined  staff  with 
neumae  for  unison  or  one-voiced  singing,  for  all  the 
chants  and  hymns,  of  which  it  contains  the  following 
number : 

Hymns,  sixty-three 

Anthems  (Antiphonal  Chants),  thirty-one 

Psalms,  twenty-seven 

Prosae,  ten 

Canticles,  four 

Motets,  four 

Responses,  three 

Prayers  (to  be  sung  by  the  choir),  two 
and  two  numbers  unclassified, 

O  filii  et  filiae 
and  the  impressive 

Rorate. 

The  list  given  above  is  indexed. 

More  than  one  musical  form  is  provided  for  many  of 
the  Chants,  thus  giving  some  freedom  of  choice. 

VII 

Hymns  of  the  "Coeleste  Paimetum" 

Of  the  thirty-eight  hymns,  not  previously  listed,  from 
the  ''Coeleste  Paimetum"  and  the  "Officium  Majoris 
Hebdomadae"  the  "Crux  fidelis"  and  the  "O  Rrdemp* 
tor'  are  from  the  latter. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  77 

Classification  by  subject 

To  the  Virgin  Mary,  twelve 
To  the  Saviour,  nine 
Of  these 

To  his  Sacred  Heart,  two 

To  the  Wounds,  one 

To  the  Cross,  one 
To  SS.  Joachim  and  Anna,  two 
To  St.  Joseph,  two 
One  each  to  the  following 
The  Holy  Spirit 
The  Blessed  Trinity 
The  Holy  Angels 
The  Patriarchs 
The  Prophets 
The  Apostles 
The  Martyrs 
The  Confessors 
The  Holy  Virgins 
All  Saints 

The  Faithful  Departed 
St.  Barbara 
SS.  Ignatius  and  Xavier 

VIII 

Plain  Chant 

Every  note  in  plain  song  is  equal  and  short.  Syllables 
of  words  and  natural  pauses  in  the  verse  and  at  the  end 
of  verse  give  the  music  its  rhythm  and  phrasing.     It  is 


78  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

neither  chant  nor  recitative,  but  a  true  melody  designed 
for  singing  in  unison. 
Sequential 

"Haec  proprie  est  sequential  neuma  sive 
prolongatio  ultimae  syllabae  Tou  Alleluia/' 

Neale 


ENGLISH  TRANSLATIONS 


DIES  IRAE 

AND 
A  LITERAL  TRANSLATION  IN  THE  FEWEST  WORDS  POSSIBLE 


Dies  irae,  dies  ilia 
Solvet  saeclum  in  favilla 
Teste  David  cum  Sibylla. 


O  Day  of  wrath,  that  day, 
When  earth  shall  pass  away 
Prophet  and  sibyl  say. 


Quantus  tremor  est  futurus 
Quando  iudex  est  venturus, 
Cuncta   stride    discussurus! 


The  trembling  cry 
The  Judge  draws  nigh 
Each  soul  to  try. 


Tuba,  mirum  spargens  sonum 
Per  sepulcra  regionum, 
Coget  omnes  ante  thronum. 


The  last  trump's  knell 
From  gates  of  Hell 
Shall  all  compel. 


Mors  stupebit,  et  natura, 
Quum  resurget  creatura 
Iudicanti  responsura. 


Death  they  surprise 
And  Nature  wise 
When  all  arise. 


Liber  scrip tus  proferetur, 
In  quo  totum  continetur, 
Ut:de  mundus  iudicetur. 


The  Book  is  there 
Which  all  lays  bare 
To  Justice  fair. 


Iudex  ergo  cum  sedebit, 
Quidquid  latet,  apparebit, 
Nil  inultum  remanebit. 


That  Judgment  Throne 
Where  all's  made  known 
Will  nought  condone. 


Quid  sum  miser  tunc  dicturus, 
Quern  patronum  rogaturus, 
Cum  vix  iustus  sit  securus? 


What  shall  I  say 
On  that  dread  day 
When  just  men  pray? 


79 


8o 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Rex  tremendae  maiestatis, 
Qui  salvandos  salvos  gratis, 
Salva  me,  ions  pietatis! 


A  Saviour  be, 

O  King  I   Grant  me 

Thy  pardon  free. 


Recordare,  Iesu  pie, 

Quod  sum  causa  tuae  viae; 

Ne  me  per  das  ilia  diet 


Can  He  forget 
The  woes  He  met 
To  pay  my  debt? 


Quaerens  me  sedisti  lassus, 
Redemisti  crucem  passus: 
Tantus  labor  non  sit  cassus! 


Let  not  Thy  pain 
My  soul  to  gain 
Be  all  in  vain. 


Iuste  iudex  ultionis, 
Donum  fac  remissionis 
Ante  diem  rationis! 


O  wash  away 
My  sin  I  pray 
Before  that  day. 


Ingemisco  tanquam  reus, 
Culpa  rubet  vultus  meus; 
Supplicanti  parce,  Deus! 

Qui  Mariam  absolvisti, 
Et  latronem  exaudisti, 
Mihi  quoque  spem  dedisti. 

Preces  meae  non  sunt  dignae 
Sed  tu  bonus  fac  benigne 
Ne  perenni  cremer  igni. 

Inter  oves  locum  praesta 
Et  ab  haedis  me  sequestra 
Statuens  in  parte  dextra. 

Confutatis  maledictis, 
Flammis  acribus  addictis, 
Voca  me  cum  benedictis! 

Ora  supplex  et  acclinis, 
Cor  contritum  quasi  cinis, 
Gere  cur  am  mei  finis! 


I  groan  with  shame 
My  guilt  to  name; 
The  lost  reclaim. 

With  Mary  shriven, 
The  thief  forgiven, 
My  hope  has  risen. 

0  hear  my  cry 
Forbid  that  I 
Forever  die. 

The  chosen  band, 
Thy  sheep,  shall  stand 
At  thy  right  hand. 

Their  end  is  nigh 
Who  love  a  lie. 
Call  me  on  high. 

1  humbly  pray 
Be  thou  my  stay 
Upon  that  day. 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  8 1 

Lacrymosa  dies  ilia,  O  Day  of  woe 

Qua  resurget  ex  favilla  When  man  shall  go 

Iudicandus  homo  reus:  From  out  the  tomb 

Huic  ergo  parce,  Deus!  To  meet  his  doom. 

Pie  Iesu  domine,  O  Jesu  blest, 

Dona  eos  requie!  Grant  me  Thy  rest 

Amen.  Amen. 

O  RAT  10 

MARIAE,  SCOTIAE  REGINAE* 

O  Lord,  my  God! 

Long  have  I  hoped  in  Thee ; 
My  blessed  Lord! 

Quickly  deliver  me: 
In  tedious  chains, 
In  bitterest  pains, 

To  Thee  would  I  flee; 
Failing  and  fainting  I  cry 
Low  at  Thy  feet  I  lie 

Adoring. 

Imploring, 
O  bid  me  come  to  Thee! 

DE  RESURRECTIONE 

(OF  JESUIT  ORIGIN) 

AND 

A  FREE  ENGLISH  TRANSLATION 

Plaudite  coeli  Applaud  ye  blue 

Rideat  aether  and  smiling  skies. 


♦Latin  text  and  another  English  version  on  page  65. 


82 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Summits  et  imus 
Gaud  eat  orbis! 

Transivit  atrae 
Turba  procellae 

Subiit  almae 
Gloria  palmae! 

Surgite  verni, 

Surgite  f lores, 
Germina  pictis 

Surgite  campis, 
Teneris  mixtae 

Violis  rosae 
Candida  sparsis 

Lilia  calthis! 


Let  the  earth 

to  joy  arise, 
Far  the  frowning 

storm  clouds  flee. 
Wave  the  palms 

of  victory. 

Rise  Spring,  burst 

forth  in  bloom, 
Paint  the  awakening 

fields  with  green. 
Weave  a  carpet 

in  your  loom 
Of  violets  rare 

and  roses  bright 
And  lilies  many-hued 

and  white. 


Currite  plenis, 

Carmina,    venis! 
Fundite  laetum, 

Barbytha,   metrum 
Namque  revixit, 

Sicuti  dixit, 
Pius  illaesus 

Funere  Iesus! 


Give  songs  of  joy 

free  rein, 
Pour  out  ye  lutes 

the  glad  refrain. 
For  He  is  living, 

as  he  said. 
Our  holy  Lord  unharmed 

is  risen  from  the  dead. 


Plaudite  montes, 

Ludite  fontes; 
Resonent  valles, 

Repetunt  colles: 
lo  revixit, 

Sicuti  dixit, 
Pius  illaesus 

Funere  Jesus! 


Applaud  ye  mountains 

and  play  ye  fountains; 
While  happy  valleys  cry 

and  echoing  hills  reply, 
Lo!    He  is  living 

as  He  said, 
Our  holy  Lord,  unharmed, 

is  risen  from  the  dead. 


INDEX  OF  LATIN  HYMNS 

FROM  THE  COLLECTIONS 

OF 

MARCH,  DANIEL,  MONE,  AND  DUFFIELD 

SAINT  BASIL'S  HYMNAL 

LE  PAROISSIEN  NOTE 

AND 
THE  ROMAN  BREVIARY 

AND 

PSALMS  AND  CANTICLES 

FROM  THE  VULGATE  EDITION  OF  THE 

HOLY  BIBLE 


INDEX  OF  LATIN  HYMNS 


FIRST  LINES  OR  TITLES 

Ad  coeli  olara 

Ad  coenam  Agni  providi 

Adeste  fidelee 

Adesto  sanota  Trinitas 
Adjuvent  noa  eorum 
Adoro  Te  devote 
Ad  perennis  vitae  fontem 
Ad  regias  Agni  dapea 
Adatant  angelorum  ohori 

Adveraa  mundi  tolera 

Ae8timavit  ortolanum 
Aeterna  Christi.  .Apostolorum 
Aeterna  Chri8ti.  .Et  gloriam 

Aeterna  Chriati.  .Et  martyrum 
Aeterna  coeli  gloria 

Aeterne  rerum  Conditor 
Aeterne  Rex  altiaaime 

Ah,  homo  perpende  fragilia 

Agni  paachalia 

Agnoaoat  omne  aaeoulum 

Agnus  Dei  in  paaoha 

Ales  diet  nuntius 

Alleluia  I    Alleluia  I  flnita  jam 

Alleluia  dulce  carmen  — . 

Alleluia  piis  edite  laudibus 

Alpha  et  Omega,  magne  Deua 
Altitudo,  quid  hie  faces 
Alto  ex  Olympo  vertice 
Amans  volat 


SOURCE         COLLECTION 


Early  Irish 

March 

Ambrosian 

March 

XV  or  XVI  Cen- 

tury 

Stead 

XIV  Century 

Daniel  IV 

XII  Century 

Duffleld 

Thomas  Aquinas 

March 

Pietro   Damiani 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

March 

Thomas  a  Kern- 

pis 

March 

Thomas  a  Kem- 

pis 

March 

XTV  Century 

Daniel  I 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel  I 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Ambrosian 

March 

Ambrosian 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Ambrose 

March 

Gregory 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Canisius 

Duffleld 

Daniel  V 

Portunatus 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

XIII  Century 

Mone  I 

Prudentius 

March 

XII  Century 

Daniel  II 

XI  Century 

March 

Mozarabic  Brev- 

March 

iary 

Hildebert 

March 

Jesuit 

Daniel  II 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel  I 

Thomas  a  Kem- 

pis 

Duffleld 

85 


86 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Angelus   ad    Virginem 
Angulare    fundamentum 

^Anima  Christi,  sanctiflca  me 
Animae    sacra    solemnia 
Anna,  Mater  pie,  ave 
Annue    Christe,    saeculorum 

Antiphona   de   Spiritu   Sancto 
Antra  deserti  teneris 
Apparebit  repentina  magna  dies 
Arte  mira,  miro  consilio 
A  solis  ortu  cardine  Ad  usque 
A  solis  ortu  cardine  Et  usque 
Aspice  infami  Deus  ipse  ligno 

Athleta  Christi  nobilis 

Attolle  paulum   lumina 

Audi,  benigne  Conditor 
Audi  nos,  Rex  Christe 
Audi,  tellus,  audi 

Aurea  luce  et  decore  roseo 
Aurora  coelum  purpurat 
Aurora  jam  spargit  polum 

Aurora  lucis  rutilat 

Ave  caput  Christi  gratum 

Ave  caro  Christi  cara 

Ave  Christi  corpus  verum 

Ave  dies  fulgentior 

Ave  Hierarchia 

Ave  maris  stella 

Ave  maris  stella  nostrum  cor 

Ave  Martha 

Ave  Martha  gloriosa 

Ave  Mater  qua  natus  est  orbis 

Pater 
Ave  mitis  Imperatrix 
Ave  Porta  Paradiai 
Ave   quern   desidero 
Ave  Regina  coelorum 


VII  or  VIII  Cen- 

tury- 

March 

Unknown  date 

Daniel  I 

Mone   III 

Mone  III 

XIV  or  XV  Cen- 

tury 

Daniel   I 

Warnefried 

Daniel   I 

VII  Century 

March 

Unknown 

March 

Sedulius 

March 

Ambrosian 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

XVI     or     XVII 

Century 

Daniel  II 

Gregory 

March 

XI  Century 

Daniel  IV 

XI  Century 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Elpis 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel   I 

Ambrosian 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Ambrosian 

March 

Gregory  XI 

Mone  I 

MS.    XIV    Cen- 

tury 

Daniel   I 

MS.    XIV    Cen- 

tury 

Mone  I 

Mone 

Mone  II 

X  Century 

March 

Mone  II 

Mone  III 

Mone  III 

Mone  II 

Mone  II 

Mone  II 

Mone 

Franciscan 

Breviary 

Daniel   II 

A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


87 


Ave  Rex  qui  descendisti 
Ave  Verbum  incarnatum 
Beata  Christi  passio 
Beata  nobis  gaudia 
Beate  pastor  Petre 

Bella  dum  late 

Benedicta  semper  est 
Cantemus  cuncti  melodium  nunc 
Celsorum  civium  inclyta  gaudia 

Chorus  novae  Jerusalem 

Christe   coelestis   medicina 

Christe   cunctorwm   dominator 
Christe  lumen  perpetuum 
Christe  precamur  annue 
Christe  qui  lux  es  et  dies 
Christe  Rex  coeli 
Christe  Salvator  omnium 
Christe  sanctorum  decus 

Christi  corpus  Ave 

Christi  corpus  Ave  sancta  de 

Christo  profusum  sanguinem 

Christum  ducem  qui  per  crucem 
Circa  thronum  majestatis 

Coelestis  formam  gloriae 

Coelestis  urbs  Jerusalem 
Coeli  Deus  sanctissime 
Coelitum  Joseph  decus 

Coelos  asoendit  hodie 
Collaudemus  Magdalena 

Consors  paterni  luminis 

Corde  natus  ex  parentis 
Cor  meum  Tibi  dedo 
Creator  dime  siderum 


XIV  Century 

Mone  I 

XV   Century 

Daniel    II 

Bonaventura 

March 

Ambrosian 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Daniel 

Notker 

March 

Hereford    Hym- 

nal 

Daniel  IV 

Pulbert 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Mozarabic  Brev- 

iary 

Daniel  I 

Ambrosian 

March 

Ennodius 

Duffleld 

Ennodius 

Duffield 

Ambrosian 

March 

Ambrosian 

Daniel  I 

Ennodius 

Duffield 

Rabanus 

Daniel    I    and 

D7 

Anselm 

Daniel    II 

Anselm 

Mone 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Bonaventura 

March 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 

tor 

March 

Sarum  Breviary 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Roman  Breviary 

Duffield 

Ambrosian 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

XV  Century 

March 

XIV  Century 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Ambrose 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Prudentius 

March 

Daniel  II 

Roman  Breviary 

St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 

88 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Credere  quid  dubitem 
Crucem  pro  nobis  subUt 
Crudelis  Herodes  Deum 

Crux  Ave  benedicta 
Cultor  Dei  memento 

Cum  revolvo  toto  oorde 
Cur  mundus  militat 
Cur  relinquis  Deus  coelum 
Da  puer  plectrum 
Decora  lux  aeternitatis 

Deo  voto  fuit  nata 
Desere  jam  anima 
Deus  Creator  omnium 
Deus-Eomo  Rex  coelorum 
Deus  Pater  ingenite 
Deus  tuorum  militum 

Devote,  corde  et  anima 
Dies  ilia  dies  vitae 
Dies  irae  dies  ilia 

Dignare  me  O  Jesu  rogo  Te 
Domare  cordis  impetus 
Dormi  Fili  dormi 
Dulce  Jesu  spes  pauperis 

Dum  node  pulsa  Lucifer 

Eoce  jam  noctis  tenuatur 
Ecce  tempus  idoneum 
Ecquis  binas  columbinas 
Egregie  doctor  Paulus 

Eia  recolamus   laudibus 
En  ut  superba  crimina 
Ewite  Sion  flliae 

Ex  more  docti  mystioo 

Exultet  orbis  gaudiis 

Felix  dies  qua  Sancta  Theresa 


Marbod 
Bonaventura 
Roman  Breviary 

Jesuit 
Prudentius 

Gonella 
Jacoponus 
Jesuit 
Prudentius 
Roman  Breviary 


Anselm  of  Lucca 

Ambrose 

Marbod 

Hilary 

Ambrosian 


Gonella 

Thomas  of  Cel- 
ano 

Urban  VIII 

Jesuit 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 
Roman  Breviary 

Gregory 

Gregory 

Jesuit 

Roman  Breviary 

Notker 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 

Gregory 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 


March 
March 
St    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
March 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Daniel  TV 
March 
Daniel  IV 
March 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Mone  III 
March 
March 
March 
March 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Mone 
Daniel   IV 

March 
Daniel  II 
Daniel   IV 
Daniel   IV 

March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Daniel   I 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Daniel  II 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


89 


Festivis   resonent   oompita 

Fortem  viriU  pectore 

Fulgentis  auotor  aetheris 
Forti  tegente  brachio 
Gaude  felix  Anna 
Gaude  Maria  templum 
Gaude  Maria  virgo  Dei  gene- 

trix 
Gaude  mortalitas 

Gaude  virgo  quae  de  coelis 
Gloria  laus  et  honor 
Grates  nuno  omnes  reddamus 
Gravi  me  terrore  puUas 
Haeo  est  dies  qua  candidae 
Haec  est  fides  orthodoxa 

Haeo  est  dies  triumphalis 
Heri  mundus  exultavit 

Herodes  hostis  impie 
Heu  quid  jaces  stabulo 
Hie  breve  vivitur 

Hio  est  dies  verus  Dei 

Hio  est  qui 

Hodiemi  lux  diei  sacramenti 

Hominis  superne   Oonditor 
Homo  Dei  creatura 
Hora  novissima  tempora  pes- 
sima 

Hora  qui  ductus  tertia 
Hujus  oratu  Deus  alma  nobis 

Hymnum  canamus  gloriae 
Hymnum  canentes  martyrum 
Hymnum  dicamus  Domino 
Illuminans  altissimus 
Immense  coeli  Conditor 
Imperas  saxo 


Roman  Breviary    St    Basil's 


Hymn  Book 

Antoniano 

St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 

Ambrose 

March 

Charles  Coffin 

Duffleld 

Mone   in 

Mone  II 

Mone  II 

Peter   the   Ven- 

erable 

March 

Mone  II 

Theodulph 

March 

Notker 

March 

Pietro  Damiani 

March 

Hildebert 

March 

Urban  VIII 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

XV  Century- 

Daniel  IV 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 

tor 

March 

Sedulius 

March 

Mauburn 

March 

Bernard     of 

Cluny 

March 

Moaarabic  Brev- 

iary 

March 

Alain  of  Lisle 

March 

Trondhjem  Mis- 

sal 

Daniel  V 

Roman  Breviary 

March 

Ryckel 

Daniel  IV 

Bernard     of 

Cluny 

March 

Bonaventura 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Bede 

March 

Bede 

March 

Ambrosian 

March 

Ambrosian 

March  r 

Gregory 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

go 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


In  monte  olivis 

In  profunda  noctis  umbra 


Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 
In  sapientia  disponens   omnia     XII  Century  Mone  I 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor Daniel   II 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 


Interni  festi  gaudia 
Invicte  martyr  unicum 
InviotU8  heros  Numinis 
Ira  justa   Conditoris 
Iste  confessor  Domini 
*Jam  Ghristus  astra 
Jam  faces  lictor 


Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Roman  Breviary    St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Ambrosian  Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
XV  Century  Mone 

Ambrosian  Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Hilary  Duffleld 

Prudentius  March 

Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Ambrosian  March 

Roman  Breviary    Daniel  I 
Ambrosian  Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Roman  Breviary    Daniel  IV 
Thomas  a  Kem- 

pis  Mone  I 

Ambrosian  Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Ambrosian  Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux  March 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux  March 

XII  Century  Daniel  IV 

Freiburg:    Brevi-    Breviarum  Ro- 
ary  manum 

*I  and  J  are  often  interchanged  in  mediaeval  Latin. 


Jam  laudemu8 

Jam  lucis  orto  sidere 

Jam  meta  noctis  transiit 
Jam  moesta  quiesce  querela 
Jam  morte  victor 

Jam  sexta  sensim  volvitur 
Jam  sol  recedit  igneus 
Jam  surgit  hora  tertia 

Jam  toto  subditus  vesper 
Jerusalem   luminosa 

Jesu  corona  celsior 

Jesu  corona  martyrum 

Jesu  corona  virginum 

Jesu  decus  angelicum 

—  Jesu  dulcedo  cordium 

Jesu  dulce  medicamen 
Jesu  dulcis  amor  meus 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


91 


Jesu  dulcis  memoria 

Jesu  meae  deliciae 
Jesu  nostra  redemptio 
Jesu  Redemptor  omnium  Per- 
pes 

Jesu  Redemptor  omnium  quern 
Jesu  Rex  admirabilis 

Jesu  spes  poenitentibus 

Kyrie  cuncti  potens  Genitor 
Lauda  mater  Ecclesia 

Lauda  Sion  Salvatorem 

Laus   Tibi  sit 

Legis  figuris  pvngitur 

Lucis  Creator  optime 
Lucis  largitor  splendide 
Lumen  vium  divinum 
Lustra  sex  qui  jam  peregit 
Lux  alma  Jesu  mentium 

Lux  ecce  surgit  aurea 
Lux  O  decora 

Magnae  Deus  potentiae 
Majestati  sacrosanctae 
Maria  castis  oculis 

Martinae  celebri  plaudite 

Martyr  Dei  Venantius 

Martyris  ecce  dies  Agathae 
Matris  sub  alma 

Mediae  noctis  tempus  est 
Media  vita  in  morte  sumus 
Memento   rerum    C»nditor 
Me  receptet  Sion  ilia 
Miris   modis  repente    liber 

Mittit  ad  virginem 


Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

Jesuit 

Daniel  II 

Ambrosian 

March 

X  or  XI  Century 

Daniel    I     and 

IV 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel  I 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

Mone 

Odo  of  Cluny 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Thomas  Aquinas 

March 

Mone 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro  • 

manum 

Gregory 

March 

Hilary 

March 

Mone 

Fortunatus 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Prudentius 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Ambrosian 

March 

XII   Century 

Daniel  V 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Urban  VIII 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Damasus 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Ambrosian 

March 

Notker 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel    I 

Hildebert 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Abelard 

March 

92 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Moerentes  oculi  spargite 

Mortis  portia  frodis  fortis 

Mundi  renovatio 

Mysterium  mirabile 

Nate  Patri  coaequalis 

Neo   quiaquam    oculis   vldet 

Node    surgentes    vigilemua 

omnes 
Non  illam  crucians 

Novum  sidus  exoritur 
Nov  atra  rerum  contegit 

Nox  et  tenebrae  et  nuoila 

Nullis  te  genitor  blanditis 

Nunc  Sonde  nobis  Spiritus 

Nuntium  vobis  fero  de  supernis 
O  beata  beatorum  martyrum 
O  benignissime  Jesu  Christe 
Obduxere  polum  nubila  coeli 

O  bona  patria 
O  colenda  Deitas 

O  Deus  ego  amo  Te  Nee  amo 
O  Deus  ego  amo  Te  Neo  prior 
O  Deus  optime 
O  Domine  Deus  speravi 

O  esca  viatorum 

O  filii  et  filiae 

O  gens  beata  coelitum 

O  gente  felix  hospita 

O  gloriosa  femina 
O  gloriosa  virginum 

O  ignis  Spiritus  Paraoliti 


Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Peter    the   Ven- 

erable 

March 

Adam  et  St.  Vic- 

tor 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Hildebert 

March 

Thomas  a  Kem- 

pis 

Mone   I 

Gregory 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

XV  Century 

Daniel  IV 

Gregory 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Prudentius 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

man um 

Ambrosian 

Danie.'    I    and 

rv 

Fulbert 

March 

XIV  Century 

Daniel  n 

Mone  I 

Ambrosian 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Bernard  of  Cluny 

March 

Conrad  of  Gam- 

ing 

Mone  I 

Xavier 

March 

Xavier 

Daniel  II 

Stead 

Mary   Queen   of 

Scots 

March 

Jesuit 

March 

XII  Century 

March 

Jesuit 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Fortunatus 

Daniel  I 

Roman  Breviary 

St.  Basil'  s 

Hymn  Book 

Hildegard 

Daniel  V 

A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


93 


O  Jesu  Dulcissime  cibus  salu- 

taris 
0  Jesu  mi  dulcissime 

0  lux  beata  coelitum 

O  lux  beata  Trinitas 
O  miranda  vanitas 

Omni   die   die   Mariae 

Omnis  expertem  maculae 

Omnis  mundi  creatura 
0  nata  lux  de  lumine  Jesu 

O  nimis  felix  meritique  celsi 
0  panis  dulcissime 


0  Pater  sancte  mitis 

Opes  decusque  regium 

0  Praesul  beatissime 
Optatus  votis  omnium 
0  quanta  qualia  sunt  ilia 
0  qui  supernae  gaudia 

0   quot  undis   lacrymarum 

0  rex  aeterne  Domine 

Ornarunt  terram  germina 

O  sacerdotum  veneranda  jura 

0  salutaris  hostia 

0  sancta  mundi  Domina 
0  sanctissima  O  piissima 

0  sola  magnarum  urbium 
0  sol  salutis  intimis 

0  stella  Jacob  fulgida 

0  stella  sancta  Anna 


XV  Century- 
Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 
Roman  Breviary 

Ambrose 
Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 
Casimir 

Roman  Breviary 

Alain  of  Lisle 
Sarum   Breviary 

Paul  the  Deacon 
XII  or  XIII  Cen- 
tury 

XV    Century 

Urban  VIII 


Ambrosian 
Abelard 
Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 

Ambrosian 

Abelard 

Paris    Breviary 

XV    Century 


Prudentius 
Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 


Mone  I 

March 

St.    Basil's 
Hymn  Book 
March 

March 

Daniel   II   and 

IV 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Daniel    I 

Daniel   II  and 

V 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Mone 
March 
Duffield 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
March 
March 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Mone 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Mone  III 


94 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


O  ter  foecundas  O  ter  jocundas 
O   Trinitas  laudabilis 
O  vos  omnes  qui  transitis 
Pange    lingua,  .corporis    mys- 

terium 
Pange  lingua .  .  diei  praeconium 
Pange     lingua,  .lauream    cer- 

taminis 

Pange    lingua.  .Magdalena 
Pange    lingua,  .proelium 
Paraclitus  increatus 
Parvulus  nobis  nascitur 
Parvum   quando   cerno   Deum 
Paschale  mundo  gaudium 

Paschalis  festi  gaudium 
Pater  superni  luminis 
Patris  sapientia 

Paule  doctor  egregie 
Placare  Christe  servulis 

Plaude  festivo 

Plaudite  coeli 

Plausu  chorus  laetabundo 

Pone  luctum  Magdalena 
Post  facta  celsa  Conditor 
Potestate  non  natura 

Praeclara  custos  virginum 

Praecursor  altus  luminis 
Primo  die  quo  Trinitas 

Puer  natus  in  Bethlehem 
Puer  nobis  nascitur 


Pugnate  Christi  milites 
Quaenam  lingua  tibi  O  lancea 

Quam  dilecta  tabernacula 

Quern  nunc  virgo  peperit 


Jesuit 


March 
Mone   I 
Mone 


Thomas  Aquinas    March 
Mone 


Roman  Breviary 

Sarum  Breviary 
For  tuna  tus 
Hildebert 
XVII    Century 
XVI  Century 
Roman  Breviary 

Pietro  Damiani 
Bellarmine 
Benedict  XII 

Pietro   Damiani 
Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 

Jesuit 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor 

Jesuit 

Bede 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor 

Servite  Breviary 

Bede 

Roman  Breviary 

XV  Century 
XIV  or  XV  Cen- 
tury 

Paris    Breviary 
Roman  Breviary 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor 


Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel 
March 
March 
Mone 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Daniel  IV 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum    > 
March 
Daniel   II   and 

V 
March 
Mone    I 

March 

St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Daniel   I 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Duffield 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

March 
Mone  II 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


95 


Quantum  hamum  caritas 
Quern  terra  pontus  aethera 

Quern   terra  pontus   sidera 

Quicunque  certum  quaeritis 

Quicunque   Christum   quaeritis 
Quid  sum  miser  tunc  dicturus 
Quid  tyranne  quid  minaris 
Qui  mutare  solet 

Qui  procedis  ab  utroque 

Quis  novus  coelis  .* 

Qui  sunt  isti 

Quodcunque  in  orbe  nexibus 

Quo  me  Deus  amore 
Quum  sit  omnis  homo 

Recolamus  sacram  coenam 
Recordare   sanctae   crucis 
Rector  Potens  verax  Deus 

Regali  solio  fortis  Iberiae 

Regina  coeli  laetare 
Regis  superni  nuntia 

Rerum   Creator  omnium   Te 

Rerum   Creator   optime 
Rerum  Deus  tenax  vigor 

Rex  Deus  immensi 
Rex  gloriose  martyrum 

Rex  gloriose   Praesulum 

Rex  sempiterne   coelitum 

Sacrae     Christi    celebremus 

coronae 
Sacra  jam  splendent 


Bonaventura 
Fortunatus 

Roman  Breviary 

Franciscan 

Breviary 
Prudentius 
Roman  Missal 
Pietro   Damiani 
Roman  Breviary 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor 
Roman  Breviary 


Roman  Breviary 

Jesuit 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 
XIV  Century 
Bonaventura 
Ambrosian 

Urban   VIII 

XIV  Century 
Urban  VIII 

Orarium     (Eng- 
land) 
Ambrosian 
Ambrosian 

Eugenius 
Gregory 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 


March 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel  I 
Duffield 
March 
Breviarum  Ro« 

manum 

March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel  IV 

March 
Daniel  V 
March 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel  II 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 


and 


Duffield 

Daniel  I 

Daniel    I 
IV 

March 

Breviarum  Ro- 
ma num 

Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 

Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 


Mone 
Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 


96                       A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Sacris  solemniis  juncta  sint 

Thomas  Aquinas 

Daniel  I 

Saepe  dum  Christi  populus 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 

Saevo   dolorum   turbine 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 

Salus  aeterna  indeficiens  mundi 

Sarum  Missal 

Daniel   II    and 

V 
Breviarum  Ro- 

Salutis  aeternae  dator 

Roman  Breviary 

manum 

Salutis  humanae  sator 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel    I 

Salvator  mundi  domine 

VI  or  VII  Cen- 

tury 

Daniel  I  and 
IV 

Salve   caput   cruentatum 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

Salve  crux  arbor 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 

tor 

Duffield 

Salve    festa    dies.. Qua    Deus 

de  coelo 

York     Processi- 

onal 

Daniel    II 

Salve    festa    dies.  .Qua    Deus 

ecclesiam 

York     Processi- 

onal 

Daniel    II 

Salve    festa    dies.. Qua    Deus 

infernum 

Fortunatus 

March 

Salve  festa  dies .  .  Qua  sponso 

York     Processi- 

onal 

Daniel    II 

Salve  Jesu  pastor  bone 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

Daniel  IV 

Salve  Jesu  Rex  sanctorum 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

Daniel  IV 

Salve  Jesu  summe  bonus 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

Daniel  IV 

Salve  mundi  salutare 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

Salve    Regina    mater    miseri- 

cordiae 

Hermann 

Duffield 

Salve  sancta  caro  Dei 

XII   Century 

Mone  I 

Salve  sancta  fades 

Aegidius  of  Bur- 

gos 

Daniel  I,  II, 
IV  and  V 

Salve  sancta  parens 

Sedulius 

March 

Salvete    Christi   vulnera 

Roman  Breviary 

Daniel  II 

Salvete  clavis  et  lancea 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 
manum 

Salvete  flores  martyrum 

Prudentius 

March 

A  Study  of 


Salve  tropacum   gloria 
Sancta  Mater 

Sancte  Spiritus  adsit  nobis 
Sancti   venite    Christi   corpus 

Sanctorum     meritis     inclyta 
gaudia 

Sanctus    genitor    omnium    in- 

genitus 
Sedibus  coeli  nitibus 

Sic  patres  vitam 

Sicut  chorda  musicorum^ 

Simplex  in  essentia 

Si  vis  vere  gloriari 
Somno  refectis  artubus 

Spes  nostra  salus  nostra 
Spiritus   sancti   gratia 
Splendor   paternae    gloriae 
Squalent  arva  soli  pulvere 
Stabat   mater  dolorosa 
Stabat  mater  speciosa 
Stella  maris  O  Maria 
Stupete  gentes  Fit  Deus  hostia 
Summae     Deus     clementiae 
Mundique 

Summae  Deus  clementiae  Sep- 
tern 

Summae  parens  clementiae 

Summi  parentis  filio 

Summi  parentis  unice 

Summi  Regis  cor  aveto 


Latin  Hymns 

97 

Bede 

March 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manian 

Notker 

Mone  I 

Early  Irish 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

VI— IX  Century 

Daniel    I    and 

IV 

Mone 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 

tor 

March 

Adam  of  St.  Vic- 

tor 

Daniel    II   and 

V 

Sarum    Missal 

Daniel    V 

Ambrosian 

Daniel    I    and 

rv 

Mone   I 

Daniel    I 

Ambrose 

March 

Ambrose 

March 

Jacoponus 

March 

Jacoponus 

March 

Mone   II 

Jean  Santeul 

Duffleld 

Ambrosian 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Franciscan 

Breviarum  Ro- 

Breviary 

manum 

Roman  Breviary 

Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Bernard  of  Clair- 

vaux 

March 

9« 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Summis  ad  astra 

Surrexit  Christus  hodie 

Tandem  audite  me 

Te  deprecante  corporum 

Te  dicimus  praeconio 

Te  gestientem 

Te  homo  laudet  alme  Creator 
Te  Joseph  celebrent 

Telluris  alme   Conditor 
Telluris  ingens  Conditor 
TelJus  et  aethra  jubilent 

Te  lucis  ante  terminum 
Te  mater  ahna  numinis 

Te  matrem  laudamus  virginem 

Terit  mola  farinula 

Terret  me  dies  terroris 

Te  splendor  et  virtus  Patris 

Te  Trinitas  Unitas 

Tibi  Christe  splendor  Patris 


Roman  Breviary 

XIV  Century 

Jesuit 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 

Alcuin 

Roman  Breviary 

Roman  Breviary 
Ambrosian 
Flavius      of 

Chalons 
Ambrosian 
Roman  Breviary 


XV  Century 

Gonella 

Roman  Breviary 

Ambrosian 
Rabanus 


Tinctam  ergo  Christi  sanguine     Roman  Breviary 


Trinitas    Unitas   Deitas 
Tristes  erant  apostoli 
Tu  natale  solum  protege 

Tu  qui  velatus  facie 
Turbam  jacentem  pauperum 

Turtur   inane   nescit   amare 
Tu   Trinitatis    Unitas   nam 

Tu,   Trinitatis   Unitas  orbem 

Unde  planctus  et  lamentum 
Urbs   beata  Jerusalem 
Urbs  Sion  aurea 
Urbs  Sion  inclyta 


Pierre  deCorbeil 
Ambrosian 
Roman  Breviary 

Bona  ventura 
Roman  Breviary 

Hildebert 
Ambrosian 

Roman  Breviary 

XV  Century 
VIII   Century 
Bernard  of  Cluny 
Bernard  of  Cluny 


Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
St.    Basil's 

Hymn  Book 
Daniel   I 
March 

Daniel  I 
Daniel  I 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Mone  II 

Duffield 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Mone    I 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel  V 
Daniel  I 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Daniel    I    and 

IV 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel   I 
March 
March 
March 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


99 


Ut  nunc  ab  alto 

Ut  queant  laxis  resonare  fibris 
Veni  Creator  Spiritus  Mentes 
Veni  Creator  Spiritus  Recrea- 
tor 

Veni  jam  veni 
Veni  Redemptor  gentium 
Veni   Sancte   Spiritus 
Venit  e  coelo  Mediator  alto 

Veni  veni  Emmanuel 

Verbum  a  Patre  prodiens 
Verbum  Dei  Deo  natum 
Verbum  supernum  A   Ratre 
Verbum  supernum  E  Patris 
Verbum  supernum  prodiens  Nee 
Vexilla  Regis  prodeunt 
Victimae  paschali  laudes 

Virgini  Mariae  laudes 
Virginis  in  gremio 
Virginis  proles.  .Haec 

Virginis  proles.  .Hujus 

Virgo  plorans 

Virgo  virginum  praeclara 

Vita  nostra  plena  bellis 
Vix  in  sepulcro 

Zyma  vetus  expurgetur 


Roman  Breviary    Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Paul  the  Deacon   March 
Gregory  March 


Adam  of  St.  Vic- 
tor 

XI  Century 
Ambrose 
Hermann 
Roman  Breviary 

XII  Century 

XIV  Century 

Ambrosian 
Roman  Breviary 
Thomas  Aquinas 
Fortunatus 
Notker 


XV   Century 
Roman  Breviary 

IX  Century 

Notker 

John   of   Geissel 

Alain  of  Lisle 
Roman  Breviary 

Adam  of  St..  Vic- 
tor 


March 
Duffleld 
March 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel  II  and 

IV 
Mone  I 
March 
Daniel  I 
Daniel  I 
Daniel  I 
March 
Daniel   II   and 

III 
Mone  II 
Daniel  V 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
Daniel 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 
March 
Breviarum  Ro- 

manum 

Daniel   II   and 
V 


roo  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

SUPPLEMENT 

March's  Latin  Hymns 

Arx  firma  Deus  noster  est  Luther-Buttmann 

Jesus  pro  me  perforates  Toplady-Gladstone 

The  Breviarum  Romanum 

Aeterne  Rector  siderum  Bellarmine 

Aspice  ut  Verbum  Patris 

Auctor  beati  saeculi 

Audiat  miras  audiens 

Audit  tyr annus  anxius  Prudentis 

Aurora  soli 

Christe  sanctorum  decus  Rector 

Coelestis  Agni  nuptias  Fr.  Lorenzini 

Coelestis  aulae  nuntius 

Coelo  Redemptor  praetulit 

Corpus  domas  jejuniis 

Custodes  hominum  psallimus  Bellarmine 

Dum  mente  Christum 

Gentis  Polonae  gloria 

Gloriam  sacrae  celebremus  omnes  Sindonis 

Iste  quern  laeti  colimus  fideles 

he  Paroissien  Note 

Hymns 

O  par  ingenito 
Panis  angelicus 
Tantum  ergo 
Thuribii  efferimus 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


10 1 


Prosae 

Ad  Jesum  ac  cur  rite 
Bone  pastor 
Ecce  panis 
Lauda  Sion 
Tota  pulchra  es 
Votis  Pater  annuit 

Motets 

Adoremus  in  aeternum 

Memorare 

O  Jesu 

Salus  fons  amoris 

Prayers 

Domine  salvum 
Parce  Domine 
Rorate 

Responses 

Domine  non  secundum 
Duo  seraphim 
Homo  quidam 

Anthems 

Alma  Redemptoris 
Beata  Dei  genitrix 
Beata  mater 
Calicem 

Christum  Regem 
Da  pacem 


ioz  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymm 

Ego  sum  panis  vivus 

Inviolata  Integra 

Miser ator  Dominus 

O  Adonai  et  dux 

O  clavis  David 

O  cor  Jesu 

O  Emmanuel 

O  interior  a  sancta 

O  oriens  splendor 

O   quam  suavis  est 

O  radix  Jesse 

O  Rex  gentium 

O  sacrum 

O  Sapientia 

Propter  nimiam 

Qui  pacem 

Requiescat  super  eum 

Sacerdos 

Sancta  Maria 

Sicut  novellae  olivarum 

Sub  tuum  praesidium 

From  the  Coeleste  Palmetum  and  the   Officinm  Ma- 
joris  Hebdomadae 

Hymni: — 

Ave  dulcis  Mater  Christi 
Ave  Jesu 

Coelestis  aulae  gloria 
Cor  Jesu,  cor  purissimum 
Crux  fidelis 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  103 

De  Nomine  Jesu 

(From  stanzas  not  listed  elsewhere) 

Amor  Jesu  dulcissimus 

Amor  tuus  continuus 

Cujus  gustus  sic  afficit 

Jam  quod  quaesivi 

Jesu  flos  matris  virginis 

Jesu  in  pace  imperat 

Jesum  quaeram  in  lectulo 

Jesu  sole  serenior 

Jesu  summa  benignitas 

Rex  virtutum,  Rex  gloriae 

Salve  Jesu 

Sana  me  et  sanus  ero 

Tumbam  perfundam 

Tu  mentis  delectatio 
Domine  Jesu,  noverim  me 
Fatalis  0  agonis 
Gaude  virgo  Mater  Christi 
Magne  Joseph,  fili  David 
Nobis  sancti  Spirit  us 
O  Bina  conjugalis 
O  candidae  Cohortes 
O  Casibus  probati 
O  coelici  Quirites 
O  Digna  lilietis 
O  Ignati  militantis 
O  Lux  beata  Trinitas 
O  Mater,  O  Senatus 
O  ordo  Nuntiorum 
O  Redemptor  Patrum 


i<>4  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymn!: 

O  sancta  Turba 
O   Turba  laureata 
O  vos  fideles  Animae 
Salve  Area  foederis 
Salve  horologium 
Salve  mundi  Domina 
Salve  Pater  Salvatoris 
Salve  urbs  refugii 
Salve  Virgo  florens 
Salve  Virgo  puerpera 
Salve  Virgo  sapiens 
Salve  vulnus 
Spectabilis  Senecta 
Stella  coeli  extirpavit 
Supplices  offerimus 
Vectigal  hoc  amor  is 

INDEX  PSALMORUM 

Biblia  Sacra  Vulgatae  Editionis 

Ad  Dominum  Psaltnus  CXX 

Ad  te  Domine  clamabo  Psalmus  XXVIII 

Ad  te  Domine  levavi  Psalmus  XXV 

Ad  te  levavi  oculos  meos  Psalmus  CXXIII 

Afferte  Domino  Psalmus  XXIX 

Attendite  popule  meus  Psalmus  LXXVIII 

Audite  haec  Psalmus  XLIX 

Beati  immaculati  Psalmus  CXIX 

Beati  omnes  Psalmus  CXXVIIl 

Beati  quorum  Psalmus  XXXII 

Beatus  qui  intelligit  Psalmus  LXI 

Beatus  vir  qui  non  abiit  Psalmus  I 

Beatus  vir  qui  timet  Psalmus  CXII 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


105 


Benedicam   Dominum 

Psalmus  XXXIV 

Benedic  anima  mea  Domino  et  omnia 

Psalmus  CUI 

Benedic  anima  mea  Domino  Domine 

Psalmus  CIV 

Benedictus  Dominus 

Psalmus  CXLIV 

Benedixisti  Domine 

Psalmus  LXXXV 

Bonum  est  confiteri 

Psalmus  XCII 

Cantate  Domino     .    .     .    cantate 

Psalmus  XCVI 

Cantate  Domino     .     .     .     latis 

Psalmus  CXLIX 

Cantate  Domino    .    .     .     quia 

Psalmus  XCVIII 

Coeli  enarrant 

Psalmus  XIX 

Confitebimur  tibi 

Psalmus  LXXV 

Confitebor    ...    in  consilio 

Psalmus  CXI 

Confitebor    .    .    .    narrabo 

Psalmus  IX 

Confitebor    .    ■.     .    quoniam 

Psalmus   CXXXVIIl 

Confitemini    .    .     .    Dicant 

Psalmus  CVII 

Confitemini    .    .    .    Dicat 

Psalmus  CXVIII 

Confitemini    .    .    .    et  invocate 

Psalmus  CV 

Confitemini    .    .    .     Quis 

Psalmus  CVI 

Confitemini    .    .    .    quoniam 

Psalmus  CXXXVI 

Conserva  me  Domine 

Psalmus  XVI 

Credidi 

Psalmus  CXV 

Cum  invocarem 

Psalmus  IV 

De  profundis 

Psalmus  CXXX 

Deus  auribus  nostris 

Psalmus  XLIV 

Deus  deorutn  Dominus 

Psalmus  L 

Deus  Deus  meus  ad  tc 

Psalmus  LXIII 

Deus  Deus  meus  respice 

Psalmus  XXII 

Deus  in  adjutorium 

Psalmus  LXX 

Deus  in  nomine  tuo 

Psalmus  LIV 

Deus  judicium  tuum 

Psalmus  LXXII 

Deus  laudem  meam 

Psalmus  CIX 

Deus  misereatur  nostri 

Psalmus  LXVII 

Deus  noster  refugium 

Psalmus  XLVI 

Deus  quis  similis  erit  tibi 

Psalmus  LXXXIII 

Deus  repulisti  nos 

Psalmus  LX 

Deus  stetit 

Psalmus  LXXXII 

Deus  ultionum 

Psalmus  XCIV 

io6 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Deus  venerunt  gentes 

Psalmus  LXXIX 

Dilexi  quoniam 

Psalmus  CXVI 

Diligam  te  Domine 

Psalmus  XVIII 
Psalmus  XXXIX  f 

Dixi  Custodiam 

Dixit  Dominus 

Psalmus  CX 

Dixit  injustus 

Psalmus  XXXVI 

Dixit  insipiens    .    .    .    Deus 

Psalmus  LIII 

Dixit  insipiens    .    .    .    Dominus 

Psalmus  XIV 

Domine  clamavi 

Psalmus  CXLI 

Domine  Deus  meus 

Psalmus  VII 

Domine  Deus  salutis 

Psalmus  LXXXVIII 

Domine  Dominus  noster 

Psalmus  VIII 

Domine  exaudi    .    .    .    auribus 

Psalmus  CXLIII 

Domine  exaudi    .     .     .     et  clamor 

Psalmus  CII 

Domine  in  virtute  tua 

Psalmus  XXI 

Domine  ne  in  furore    .    .    Miserere 

Psalmus  VI 

Domine  ne  in  furore    .    .     Quoniam 

Psalmus  XXXVIII 

Domine  non  est  exaltatum 

Psalmus  CXXXI 

Domine  probasti  me 

Psalmus  CXXXIX 

Domine  quid  multiplicati 

Psalmus  III 

Domine  quis  habitabit 

Psalmus  XV 

Domine  refugium 

Psalmus  XC 

Domini  est  terra 

Psalmus  XXIV 

Dominus  illuminatio 

Psalmus  XXVI 

Dominus  regit  me 

Psalmus  XXIII 

Dominus  regnavit  decorum 

Psalmus  XCIII 

Dominus  regnavit  ex  suit  et 

Psalmus  XCVII 

Dominus  regnavh  irascantur 

Psalmus  XCIX 

Ecce  nunc  benedicite 

Psalmus  CXXXIV 

Ecce  quam  bonum 

Psalmus  CXXXIII 

Eripe  me  de  inimicis  meis 

Psalmus  LIX 

Eripe  me  Domine 

Psalmus  CXL 

Eructavit  cor  meum 

Psalmus  XLV 

Exaltabo  te  Deus 

Psalmus  CXLV 

Exaltabo  te  Domine 

Psalmus  XXX 

Exaudi    .    .     .    cum  deprecor 

Psalmus  LXIV 

Exaudi  Deus  deprecationem  meam 

Psalmus  LXI 

A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


107 


Exaudi  Deus  orationem  meant 

Psalmus  LV 

Ex  audi  Domine 

Psalmus  XVII 

Exaudiat  te  Dominus 

Psalmus  XX 

Expectans  expectavi 

Psalmus  XL 

Exsultate  Deo 

Psalmus  LXXXI 

Exsultate  justi 

Psalmus  XXXIII 

Exsurgat  Deus 

Psalmus  LXVIII 

Fundamenta  ejus 

Psalmus  LXXXVI1 

Inclina  Domine 

Psalmus  LXXXVI 

In  convertendo 

Psalmus  CXXVI 

In  Domino  confido 

Psalmus  XI 

In  exitu  Israel 

Psalmus  CXIV 

In  te  Domine  speravi  .  .  .  accelera 

Psalmus  XXXI 

In  te  Domine  speravi'.  .  .  et  salva  me 

Psalmus  LXXI 

lubilate  Deo     .    .     .    psalmum 

Psalmus  LXVI 

Jubilate  Deo    .    .    .    servite 

Psalmus  C 

Judica  Domine 

Psalmus  XXXV 

Judica  me  Deus 

Psalmus  XLIII 

Judica  me  Domine 

Psalmus  XXV 

Laetatus  sum 

Psalmus  CXXII 

Lauda  anima  mea 

Psalmus  CXLVI 

Laudate    .    .    .    de  coelis 

Psalmus  CXLVI II 

Laudate    .    .    .    in  Sanctis 

Psalmus  CL 

Laudate    .     .    .     omnes  gentes 

Psalmus  CXVII 

Laudate  Dominum  quoniam  bonus 

Psalmus  CXLVI  I 

Laudate  nomen 

Psalmus  CXXXV 

Laudate  pueri 

Psalmus  CXIII 

Levavi  oculos  meos 

Psalmus  CXXI 

Magnus  Dominus 

Psalmus  XLVIII 

Memento  Domine  David 

Psalmus  CXXXII 

Miserere    .    .    .    miserere 

Psalmus  LVII 

Miserere    .    .     .    quoniam 

Psalmus  LVI 

Miserere    .    .    .    secundum 

Psalmus  LI 

Misericordiam  et  judicium 

Psalmus  CI 

Misericordias  Domini 

Psalmus  LXXXIX 

Nisi  Dominus 

Psalmus  CXXVII 

Nisi  quia  Dominus 

Psalmus  CXXIV 

io8 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


Noli  aemulan 

Psalmus  XXXVII 

Nonne  Deo 

Psalmus  LXII 

Non  nobis  Domine 

Psalmus  CXV 

Notus  in  Judaea  Deus 

Psalmus  LXXVI 

0 nines  gentes  plaudit e 

Psalmus  XLVII 

Paratum  cor  meum 

Psalmus  CVIII 

Quam  bonus  Israel  Deus 

Psalmus  LXXIII 

Quam  dilecta 

Psalmus  LXXXIV 

Quare  fremuerunt 

Psalmus  II 

Quemadmodum 

Psalmus  XLII 

Qui  confidunt 

Psalmus  CXXV 

Qui  habitat 

Psalmus  XCI 

Qui  regis  Israel 

Psalmus  LXXX 

Quid  gloriaris 

Psalmus  LII 

Saepe  expugnaverunt  me 

Psalmus  CXXIX 

Salvum  me  fac  Deus 

Psalmus  LXIX 

Salvum  me  fac  Domine 

Psalmus  XII 

Si  vere  utique 

Psalmus  LVIII 

Super  flumina 

Psalmus  CXXXVIl 

Te  decet  hymnus 

Psalmus  LXV 

Usquequo  Domine 

Psalmus  XIII 

Ut  quid  Domine 

Psalmus  LXXIV 

Ut  quid  Deus 

Psalmus  X 

Venite  exsultemus 

Psalmus  XCV 

Verba  mea  auribus  percipe 

Psalmus  V 

Voce  mea    .    .    .    ad  Deum 

Psalmus  LXXVII 

Voce  mea    .    .    .    ad  Dominum 

Psalmus  CXLII 

INDEX  CANTICORUM 

Audite  coeli 

Canticum 

Moysi            Deut.        XXXII 

Cantemus  Domino 

Canticum 

Moysi             Exod.               XV 

Confitebor  tibi  Domine 

Canticum 

Isaiae            Isai.                 XII 

Domine  audivi 

Canticum 

Habacuc        Hab.                  Ill 

Ego  dixi 

Canticum 

Exechiae       Isai.      XXXVIII 

Exultavit  cor  meum 

Canticum 

Annae            I  Reg.                II 

In  principio  creavit  Deus 

Canticum 

Creationis     Gen.                     I 

Qui  sponte  obtuliatis 

Canticum 

Debborae      Jud.                    V 

A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  1 09 

APOCRYPHA 

Benedicite  omnia  opera       CanOcum  trium  puerorum       (Dan.  So.) 

Patrum  Hymnua                  Eoclesiosticua  XLIV 

NOVUM  TESTAMENTUM 
Cantica  et  Hymni 

EVANGELIUM  SECUNDUM  LUCAM 

Benedictus  Dominus  Deus  Israel  I  68 

Magnificat  anima  mea  I  46 

Nunc  dimittis  servum  tuutn  in  pace  II  29 

ACTUS  APOSTOLORUM 

Dotnine  tu  es  qui  fecisti  caelum  IV    4 

EPISTOLAE  PAULI 

Et  manifeste  magnum  est  I  Tim.    Ill  16 

Nam  si  commortui  sumus  II  Tim.     II  11 

Rex  regum  et  Dominus  I  Tim.    VI  15 

Surge  qui  dormis  Eph.      V  14 

APOCALYPS1S 

Alleluia  quoniam  regnavit  Dominus  XIX    6 

Dignus  es  Domine  V    9 

Dignus  est  Agnus  V  12 

Et  Spiritus  et  sponsa  dicunt  XXII  17 

Factum  est  regnum  hujus  mundi  XI  15 

Gratia  vobis  et  pax  I    4 

Ostendam  tibi  sponsam  (Jerusalem)  XXI    9 
Magna  et  mirabilia  sunt  opera  tua  (Moysi  et 

Agni)  XV    3 


no  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 


CANTICA  ECCLESIAE 

Credo  in  Deutn. .  .Creator em  coeli  et  terrae 

Credo  in  unum  Deutn  Patrem  omnipotentem  factoretn 

Gloria  in  excelsis 

Te  Deum  laudatnus 

Ter  Sanctus 

Quicumque  vult  salvus  esse 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

I 

Latin  Text 
Latin  Hymns 

F.  A.  March  (Edition  of  1879) 
Latin  Hymn- Writers  and  their  Hymns 

S.  W.  Duffield  (Edition  of  1889) 
Thesaurus  Hymnologicus 

H.  A.  Daniel  (Leipzig  1841-56) 
Volume      I     Hymns 
Volume    II     Sequences 
Volume  III     Hymns    of    the     Greek    and    Syrian 

Churches 
Volume   IV     Hymns 
Volume     V    Sequences 
Lateinische  Hymnen  des  Mittelalters 

F.  J.  Mone  (Freiburg  1853) 
Volume      I     Gott  und  die  Engel 
Volume    II     Marienlieder 
Volume  III     Heiligenlieder 
Breviarum  Romanum 

Authorized  Edition 
Pars  Hiemalis 
Pars  Verna 
Pars  Aestwa 
Pars  Autumnalis 
Biblia  Sacra 

Vulgatae  Editionis 
Liber  Psalmorum 

"3 


H4  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Cantica  et  Hymni 
Ecclesiae  Cantica 
Ecclesiae  Symbola 
Apocrypha 

Benedicite  omnia  opera 
Patrum  Hymnus   (Ecclesiasticus) 
Carmina 

Matthiae  Casimiri  e  Societate  Jesu 
St.  Basil's  Hymn  Book 

The  Basilian  Fathers 
he  Paroissien  Note 

J.  A.  Langlais,  Libraire-Editeur,  1888 
Sacred  Latin  Poetry 

Curtis  C.  Bushnell,  1902 
Agricola:  Cap.   1-7  and  43-47 
Tacitus 
De  Origine  Spectaculorum 

Tertullianus 
Contra  Symmachum 

Ambrosius 
De  Idolorum  Vanitate 

Cyprianus 
De  Mortibus  Persecutorum 

Lactantius 
Ad  Magnum  Oratorem  TJrbis  Romae 

Hieronymus 
De  Modo  Juventutis  Erudiendae 
Augustinus 


A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns  115 

II 

English,  German  and  French  Text 

March,  Notes  on  Latin  Hymns 

Duffield,  Latin  Hymn-Writers  and  their  Hymns 

Thompson,  Unknown  and  Less  Known  Hymn-Writers 

Duffield,  Index  to  Translated  Hymns 

Daniel,   Thesaurus  Hymnologicus,  Notes 

Neale,  Sequences  (An  introduction  to  the  fifth  volume  of 

the  above) 
Mone,  Lateinische  Hymnen  des  Mittelalters 
Campbell,  Latin  Hymns  and  Hymn  Makers 
Walsh,  Latin  Hymns  of  the  Thirteenth  Century 
Bushnell,  Notes  on  Sacred  Latin  Poetry 
Stead,  Notes  in  Hymns  that  have  Helped 
Van  Buren,   Christian  Hymnody,  with   Notes  on  Latin 

Hymn-Writers 
Wright,  Essay  on  Latin  Hymns,  (An  Introduction  to  the 

above) 
Charles,  The  Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song 
Encyclopedia  Britannica,  Latin  Hymns 
Johnson,  Essay  on  the  "Dies  Irae" 
Ritter,  History  of  Music 
Anonymous,    Le    Paroissien    Note      (Roman    Catholic 

Chant  Book) 
Caswell,  Preface  to  Lyra  Catholica 
Neale,  Primitive  Liturgies:     Notes  to  Greek  originals  of 

St.  Mark's,  St.  James',  St.  Clement's,  St.  Chrysos- 

tom's,  and  St.  Basil's 
Augustine,  Exposition  on  the  Psalms,  Post-Nicene  Fathers, 

Vol.  VIII 


n6  A  Study  of  Latin  Hymns 

Hilary,    The  Holy    Trinity,  Post-Nicene  Fathers,  Vol. 

IX 
Watson,  Hilary's  Hymns,    (In  the  introduction  to  the 

above) 

English  Versions  Used  in  Comparative  Study 

Lyra  Apostolica 

Keble,  Newman  and  others 
Lyra  Eucharistica 

Edited  by  Shipley 
Original  Sequences  and  Hymns 

Neale 
Introits  and  Anthems 

From  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern 
Poems 

Trench 
Catena  Dominica 

Alexander 
Christ  in  Song 

Schaff 
Mediaeval  Hymns 

Neale 
Lyra  Catholica 

Caswell 
Latin  Hymns 

Van  Buren 
Hymnal 

Adopted  by  the  Episcopal  Church 
The  English  Hymnal 

Used  by  the  Church  of  England 


THISE00KS^^-VASTDATE 

OVERDUE.  $,-°°    °~    THE    SEVENTH    dJ" 


LID    £7£M-  f 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


